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Making it official

I changed my name years ago without a deed poll

You’re far from alone. In England and Wales you can take a new name just by using it, so the name you’ve gone by for years is yours. The trouble starts when a passport office, bank or new employer wants paper proof. A deed poll signed today gives you that proof, for £14.95.

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Your name by use
Proof for your passport and bank
Official from the day you sign
Names used without a deed poll

Checked against a council registration service, The National Archives, HM Passport Office’s caseworker guidance, the Home Office and the DBS. Sources are listed at the end.

Updated: 30 October 2026
On this pageQuick answerIs it my legal name?Where it causes troubleMaking it officialGaps in old paperworkFAQs

The quick answer

Your name is very likely legally yours already. Under English common law you can take a new name without any formal record, and The National Archives says it’s always been possible to change your name without registering it.

What you’re missing is proof. HM Passport Office, banks, employers and the DBS all want a document linking your old name to the one you use now. A deed poll signed today gives you that, and your bank statements and payslips show the years you’ve already used the name. It’s £14.95, posted free.

The law

Is a name you just started using legal?

Yes, in England and Wales. Cornwall Council’s registration service explains that under English common law you can take a new surname without drawing up any formal record, because a name changes through use. It warns that changing your name to commit fraud is a crime, which is the only real catch. Cornwall Council: changing your name

The National Archives makes the same point: it has always been possible to change your name without registering the change. A deed poll exists to give you evidence of it. The National Archives: changes of name

So the question isn’t whether the name is yours. It’s whether you can prove it when someone asks. Our guide to what your legal name is explains how that works.

In practice

Where a name with no paperwork causes trouble

Passport

Your passport

HM Passport Office wants evidence linking the name on your old passport or birth certificate to the name you use now, plus proof that you use it. HM Passport Office: evidence to change a name

Work

A new job

The Home Office’s right to work checklist asks employers to check the reasons for different names across your documents, such as a deed poll, and to keep a copy. Home Office: right to work checklist

DBS

A DBS check

You list every name you’ve used, and DBS guidance says a recent name change should be shown with a marriage certificate or deed poll. DBS: ID checking guidelines

Money

Banks, pensions and mortgages

Banks check your name against your ID, so a mismatch can hold up a new account, a mortgage or a pension payout.

Our bank by bank guide shows what each bank asks for, and our name change checklist lists everyone else to tell.

The fix

Making it official with a deed poll

Order a deed poll

Put the name on your birth certificate or old passport as your old name, and the name you use now as your new one.

Sign it in front of two witnesses

Dated the day you sign it. Never backdate it to when you started using the name. Our guide to backdating a deed poll explains why.

Gather proof that you use the name

Recent bank statements, payslips, a council tax bill or a letter from a government department in the name you use.

Update your passport and records

Send the deed poll with your proof of use. See proving your new name is in use.

HM Passport Office accepts an unenrolled deed poll that’s signed in both names, witnessed, dated, signed in ink and made at the time, and many of the proof-of-use documents it lists must have been issued in the last 12 months. HM Passport Office: evidence to change a name

Make the name you use official

Order your deed poll today and sign it this week. Same-day processing when you order by 6pm, Monday to Friday, and free tracked delivery.

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Older changes

When there are gaps in your paperwork

If your name has changed more than once, or the Passport Office can’t follow the link from the name on your old passport, it may ask for a statutory declaration. That covers every name you’ve used, when you used each one and why it changed, and it’s made in front of someone like a solicitor, notary or justice of the peace. HM Passport Office: evidence to change a name

Our guides to several name changes and deed polls and statutory declarations help you work out which you need. For your driving licence, bank, employer and almost everyone else, a deed poll does the job.

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions

In England and Wales, very likely yes. Under common law you can take a new name by using it, without any formal record. What you may not have is the paperwork to prove it.

Not to make the name yours, but most organisations want a document before they’ll update their records. A deed poll signed today is the simplest one.

No. Date it the day you sign it. Your bank statements and payslips show how long you’ve used the name, and organisations look at both.

It accepts an unenrolled deed poll that’s signed in both names, witnessed, dated and signed in ink, with proof that you use the name. If it can’t follow the link from your old passport, it may ask for a statutory declaration.

Yes. The Home Office’s right to work checklist asks employers to check the reasons for different names across your documents, such as a marriage certificate or deed poll.

No, as long as you’re not using it to deceive anyone. It just makes life harder when your documents don’t match, which is why most people make it official.

Check the detail

Sources for this guide

Guidance and reference pages

The official rules this guide is based on, checked in October 2026.

Continue your name change

Related guides

What is my legal name?

What counts, and how to prove it.

Deed poll vs statutory declaration

Which one you need, and why.

Proving your new name is in use

What the Passport Office accepts.

Ready when you are

Make it official this week.

A deed poll for the name you already use, prepared from your details, checked by a person and posted free. £14.95, all in.

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