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Fixing a deed poll

There’s a mistake on my deed poll

Don’t cross it out, write over it or reach for the correction fluid. Organisations check deed polls closely, and an alteration is the quickest way to get one sent back. The fix is a fresh deed poll with the right details, signed and witnessed properly, and if we prepared yours, we make that easy.

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What to do about a mistake

Checked against HM Passport Office’s caseworker guidance, the DVLA and GOV.UK, and our own terms. Sources are listed at the end.

Updated: 30 October 2026
On this pageQuick answerWhat kind of mistake?Don’t alter itOrdered from us?Already used it?FAQs

The quick answer

Don’t alter it. A deed poll with crossings-out or correction fluid invites questions, and HM Passport Office asks for a new deed poll whenever it doubts one is genuine. Sign a fresh one instead, with the right details, in front of two witnesses.

If we prepared your deed poll and the mistake is ours, we correct it and re-send it free. If a detail you gave us was wrong, tell us within 14 days of receiving it and we’ll re-prepare it for a reduced fee, as our terms explain. Made a slip on signing day? Order extra copies from your original order and sign a fresh one.

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What kind of mistake is it?

The mistakeThe fixIf you ordered from us
A misspelt name or wrong detail in the printed textA fresh deed poll with the right detailsOur mistake: corrected and re-sent free. Yours: re-prepared for a reduced fee if you tell us within 14 days
You signed in the wrong place, or signed the wrong nameSign a fresh copy in front of your witnessesOrder extra copies from your original order
A witness missed a signatureSign a fresh copy with both witnesses thereOrder extra copies from your original order
A smudge, tear, crossing-out or correction fluidUse a fresh copy. Don’t send an altered oneOrder extra copies from your original order
A mistake on a deed poll from somewhere elseA new deed poll with the right detailsA new deed poll from us is £14.95, posted free

Check your new deed poll as soon as it arrives, before anyone signs it. Read every name letter by letter, including middle names, and check your address. A mistake caught then is the easiest kind to fix.

The golden rule

Why you shouldn’t correct it by hand

A deed poll is a legal document, and organisations compare it with your other documents line by line. HM Passport Office’s caseworkers accept an unenrolled deed poll when it’s signed in both names, witnessed, dated and signed in ink, and they ask for a new one if they have doubts about how genuine it is. A hand-written correction is exactly the kind of thing that raises them. HM Passport Office: evidence to change a name

The DVLA asks for original documents, and won’t take photocopies or laminated certificates, so the version you send needs to be clean. GOV.UK: change the name on your driving licence

Our guide to how to sign a deed poll covers the slips people make on signing day, and how to avoid them.

Our customers

Ordered your deed poll from us?

Check it as soon as it arrives

Read every name and your address before anyone signs.

Tell us within 14 days

Send us a message through our support page, quoting your order reference. If we made the mistake, we correct it and re-send it free.

If a detail you gave us was wrong

We re-prepare it for a reduced fee, as our terms explain.

If it was a signing slip

Order extra copies with your order reference. They match your original order exactly, and you sign and witness each one.

Extra copies can’t fix a wrong name, because they use exactly the same details as your original order. For that, we re-prepare the deed poll itself.

A fresh start with the right details

Prepared from your details, checked by a person and posted free. Same-day processing when you order by 6pm, Monday to Friday.

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After the event

Already used a deed poll with a mistake?

If an organisation has already updated you in the wrong name or spelling, get a correct deed poll first, then ask each one to correct its record. Your passport can only show the name on your evidence, so it’s worth getting the deed poll right before you apply.

If the mistake is in your old name, such as a misspelt birth surname, check it against your birth certificate and your last passport. Your deed poll needs to match the name organisations already hold, so they can link your records.

If the mistake is the organisation’s, not your deed poll’s, you don’t need a new deed poll. Ask it to correct its record and show it your deed poll if it asks.

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions

No. Don’t cross anything out, write over it or use correction fluid. Sign a fresh deed poll with the right details in front of two witnesses instead.

Tell us through our support page, quoting your order reference. If we made an error preparing it, we correct it and re-send it free of charge.

Tell us within 14 days of receiving your deed poll and we’ll re-prepare it for a reduced fee, as our terms explain. After that, a new deed poll is £14.95.

Play it safe and sign a fresh copy with your witnesses watching. Our customers can order extra copies from their original order, made from the same details.

No. Extra copies use exactly the same details as your original order, so a wrong name needs the deed poll itself re-prepared.

No. If the mistake is the bank’s, ask it to correct its records. You only need a new deed poll when the deed poll itself is wrong.

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

How to sign a deed poll

Step by step, and the mistakes to avoid.

Who can witness a deed poll?

Who can and can’t sign as your witness.

How many certified copies do I need?

Update everyone at once, and keep a spare.

Ready when you are

Put it right, properly.

A fresh deed poll prepared from your details, checked by a person and posted free. Same-day processing when you order by 6pm, Monday to Friday.

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

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