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Turning 16 or 18

Does a child’s deed poll need redoing at 18?

No. A name changed by a child’s deed poll stays their name when they grow up, and the Passport Office accepts it for an adult passport. There’s one situation where signing a new deed poll at 16 or 17 helps, and every reason to keep the original safe. Here’s what to know.

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Still valid at 18
The 16 and 17 exception
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Straight from the Passport Office’s rules

Checked against HM Passport Office’s change of name guidance, GOV.UK and Coram Children’s Legal Centre. Sources are listed at the end.

Updated: 30 October 2026
On this pageQuick answerAt 18 and overAt 16 or 17Keep it safeChanging it againFAQs

The quick answer

A child’s deed poll doesn’t expire. When someone aged 18 or over applies for a passport and their name was changed before they turned 16, HM Passport Office’s guidance accepts they’re making an informed decision as an adult to keep the name, as long as they send evidence of the change, such as the child’s deed poll, and evidence they use the name for all official purposes.

The exception is at 16 or 17. If consent from everyone with parental responsibility is in doubt, the young person can sign a new deed poll themselves, and nobody with parental responsibility can object to it. Ours is £14.95 with free tracked delivery.

The answer

At 18 and over, nothing needs redoing

Turning 18 doesn’t undo a name change. HM Passport Office’s guidance says adults whose name changed before they turned 16 are legally adults, don’t need parental consent to change their name, and are accepted as choosing to keep it if they show the change of name document and that they use the name for all official purposes. HM Passport Office: change of name applications

Age nowWhat the Passport Office needs
18 or over, name changed before 16The child’s deed poll and evidence they use the name
16 or 17, name changed by a parent before 16Consent from everyone with parental responsibility, or a new deed poll they’ve signed themselves
16 or 17, name changed by themselves after turning 16No parental consent, and nobody with parental responsibility can object
The exception

Why 16 and 17 are different

At 16 or 17, the Passport Office looks again at a name changed in childhood, because when it was changed the person was a child and a parent could still object. If consent from everyone with parental responsibility is missing or in doubt, its guidance says the young person can provide a new change of name document they’ve completed themselves.

GOV.UK says 16 and 17 year olds can make their own deed poll, and the Passport Office won’t accept objections to a change of name a young person makes after turning 16. Coram Children’s Legal Centre explains that it’s under 16 that everyone with parental responsibility has to consent. GOV.UK: change a child’s name Coram Children’s Legal Centre: changing a child’s surname

So a deed poll they sign themselves at 16 or 17 settles any doubt about the original, because nobody with parental responsibility can object to it. If the child’s deed poll has gone missing, it’s often the simplest fix too.

Worth knowing

Keep the original safe

The child’s deed poll links the name on the birth certificate to the name they use now. Keep it with the birth certificate, because until everything is in the new name, organisations may ask to see both, for example for a first adult passport, a provisional driving licence or student finance.

Once they have a passport in the new name, most organisations will simply ask for that. The deed poll is still worth keeping for good, as it’s the record of how the name changed.

Lost the original?

If we prepared it, you can order more copies online. Otherwise, from 16 a young person can sign a new deed poll themselves for £14.95.

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A different name

Changing it again, or going back

If they want a different name, or their birth name back, a young person aged 16 or over can make their own deed poll without anyone’s consent. It works the same way as any adult deed poll: they sign it in front of two witnesses and use it to update their records.

An enrolled child’s deed poll stays on the court’s records too, so it doesn’t need redoing either. Our guide to a lost deed poll covers replacing any kind.

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions

No. A name changed by a child’s deed poll stays their name as an adult.

No. HM Passport Office accepts that an adult whose name changed before 16 is choosing to keep it, as long as they show the deed poll and that they use the name.

If the Passport Office needs consent from everyone with parental responsibility and it’s missing, the young person can sign a new deed poll themselves instead.

Not to a change the young person makes themselves after turning 16. The Passport Office won’t accept objections to it.

If we prepared it, you can order more copies online. Otherwise, from 16 they can sign a new deed poll themselves, or before then a parent can make a new child’s deed poll.

Yes. From 16 they can make their own deed poll to change to any name, including their old one.

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

Changing your name at 16 or 17

Your own deed poll, without parental consent.

Lost your deed poll?

What to do, and how to replace it.

Your child’s passport after a deed poll

What the Passport Office needs.

Ready when you are

Their name, for life.

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