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How many certified copies do I need?

Enough to post to everyone who needs an original at the same time. For most people that’s five extra copies, so the passport, driving licence, bank, employer and GP can all update at once instead of one after another. Here’s how to work out your number.

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Update everyone at once
Each copy signed like the original
Add them when you order
Based on what organisations actually ask for

Checked against DVLA and HM Passport Office guidance. Sources are listed at the end.

Updated: 30 October 2026
On this pageQuick answerWhy copies helpWork out your numberWhat a copy isSigning your copiesNeed more later?FAQs

The quick answer

Order enough copies to send an original to every organisation you want to update at the same time. Most of our customers add five extra copies to their order, so their passport, driving licence, bank, employer and GP can all update at once while the deed poll itself stays safe at home.

Our copies aren’t photocopies. Each one is printed to the same standard as your deed poll and signed and witnessed just like it, so each one works as an original. You choose how many on the order form, and they arrive with your deed poll.

Why it matters

Why one deed poll usually isn’t enough

The DVLA asks for your original documents and won’t accept photocopies or laminated certificates. HM Passport Office’s guidance asks for a deed poll with real ink signatures, so a photocopy won’t do there either. And while your deed poll is with one of them, you can’t send it to anyone else. GOV.UK: change the name on your driving licence

With one deed poll, you update one organisation, wait for your document to come back, then post it to the next. With extra copies, everything goes out in the same week.

One deed pollDeed poll plus 5 extra copies
Passport and driving licenceOne after the otherAt the same time
Bank, employer and GPOnce your document comes backThe same week
A deed poll kept safe at homeNoYes
Your number

How many copies do you need?

Count the organisations that will want an original at the same time, and keep your deed poll itself at home as your spare. As a guide:

2 extra

Just the essentials

Your passport and driving licence at the same time, with your deed poll kept safe.

5 extra

Most popular

Passport, driving licence, bank, employer and GP all at once. The bundle most of our customers choose.

10 extra

Plenty of paperwork

Several banks, pensions, investments, a mortgage or a professional register.

15 extra

Everything, plus spares

Lots of accounts, with spares for anything that comes up later.

Not everyone needs an original. Many banks check your deed poll in branch and hand it straight back, and plenty of smaller organisations update you from a letter or an upload. Our free change of name letter and checklist help you work out who’s who.

Originals and copies

What a certified copy actually is

“Certified copy” means different things to different organisations, so it’s worth being clear about what you’re sending.

TypeWhat it isWho takes it
Our extra copiesPrinted to the same standard as your deed poll, then signed and witnessed by you like the originalOrganisations that ask for an original deed poll
A certified photocopyA photocopy that a solicitor or another professional has signed to confirm it matches the originalSome banks and organisations by post. Not the DVLA
A plain photocopy or scanA copy with no original signaturesSome smaller organisations, by email or upload

When an organisation asks for a certified copy, check which one it means. Our guide to originals, certified copies and photocopies goes into the detail, including what the DVLA, the Passport Office and the Land Registry accept.

Get your deed poll and copies in one order

Most customers add 5 extra copies. Same-day processing when you order by 6pm, Monday to Friday, and free tracked delivery.

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Signing

How to sign your copies

Sign them all in one go

Get your two witnesses together once and sign your deed poll and every copy at the same sitting, in your old and new names.

Date every copy

Use the date you sign. HM Passport Office won’t accept a deed poll that isn’t dated.

Use real ink every time

Every signature on every copy must be handwritten in ink. No printed, stamped or scanned signatures.

Keep a record

Note which copy went to which organisation, and ask for each one back.

Our guide to signing a deed poll walks you through it, and our guide to who can witness helps you pick the right people. HM Passport Office: evidence to change a name

Ordering later

Need more copies later?

If you ordered your deed poll from us, you can order more copies online with your order reference and the email address you used. They’re made from the same details as your original order, and you sign and witness each one like your deed poll.

Adding copies when you first order is still the easiest way. They cost less per copy, they arrive with your deed poll and you can sign everything in one sitting.

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions

Enough to send an original to everyone you want to update at the same time. Most of our customers choose five extra copies, for their passport, driving licence, bank, employer and GP, and keep the deed poll itself safe at home.

No. Each extra copy is printed to the same standard as your deed poll, and you sign and witness it just like the original, so each one works as an original document.

Not a photocopy. GOV.UK says to send original documents and not to send photocopies or laminated certificates. A copy that you’ve signed and had witnessed like your deed poll is an original document.

Yes. Each copy needs your signatures and your witnesses’ signatures, so it’s easiest to sign them all at the same sitting.

Yes. If you ordered from us, use your order reference and email address on our copies page. The copies are made from the same details as your original order.

Ask for it back in your covering letter and post it with tracking. Our free change of name letter template already asks for your document to be returned.

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

Originals, certified copies and photocopies

What each organisation accepts.

Free change of name letter

Fill in, copy and send with your deed poll.

How to sign a deed poll

Signing in both names, with your witnesses.

Ready when you are

Update everyone at once.

Your deed poll for £14.95, with extra copies added at checkout. Prepared, checked and posted free with Royal Mail tracking.

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ChangeYourName.co.uk is an independent UK deed poll provider.

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