Printed, checked and posted for £14.95 with free UK delivery · order your deed poll
Home › Is there an official deed poll office?
Deed poll offices explained

Is there an official deed poll office?

Yes, but it’s probably not what you’re looking for. The government’s Deed Poll Office is part of the High Court in London, and its only job is putting deed polls on the public record. It doesn’t prepare or post everyday deed polls, which is why most people use a deed poll service instead.

Start my deed pollRead the guide
No government office sells deed polls
Enrolment is optional
Valid the day you sign it
The official route and the everyday one

Checked against GOV.UK’s enrolment pages and HM Passport Office’s guidance. Sources are listed at the end.

Updated: 30 October 2026
On this pageQuick answerThe real Deed Poll OfficeDo you need it?Deed poll websitesEnrolled deed copiesScotland and Northern IrelandFAQs

The quick answer

The only official deed poll office in England and Wales is the Deed Poll Office of the King’s Bench Division, part of the High Court at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. It enrols deed polls, which means putting your change of name on public record. GOV.UK says that costs £53.05, can take several months and publishes your name change and address in The Gazette.

You don’t need it to change your name. An unenrolled deed poll is valid the day you sign it, and HM Passport Office, the DVLA and most organisations accept one. No government office prepares those for you: you make your own or use a service like ours, which prepares, prints and posts it for £14.95.

The official office

What the official Deed Poll Office does

GOV.UK sends anyone who wants to enrol a deed poll to the Deed Poll Office, King’s Bench Division, Room E15, The Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL. You can apply online or by post. GOV.UK: enrol a deed poll with the courts

Enrolling is a court process. You sign form LOC020 in front of 2 witnesses, and a statutory declaration (LOC021) and exhibit cover sheet (LOC027) in front of a solicitor or another authorised witness, who may charge for it. Then you pay the £53.05 fee and wait. GOV.UK says it can take several months, and you can only chase it 6 months after you apply.

When it’s approved, a record of your name change and your address is published in The Gazette, unless a judge agrees to publish less because you have a strong reason. Enrolment is only for adults, and only for British citizens, Commonwealth citizens and citizens of the British overseas territories. GOV.UK: how to complete the adult deed poll form

Enrolled or not

Do you need to enrol your deed poll?

For almost everyone, no. GOV.UK says that from 16 you can make a deed poll yourself and start using your new name. HM Passport Office’s own guidance tells its staff to accept an unenrolled deed poll that’s signed in your old and new names, dated and witnessed, with real ink signatures. HM Passport Office: evidence to change a name

Unenrolled deed pollEnrolled deed poll
Who prepares itYou, or a deed poll service like oursYou fill in the court forms
Cost£14.95 printed and posted by us£53.05 court fee, plus any witness fees
When you can use itThe day you sign itAfter a wait GOV.UK says can take several months
PrivacyPrivatePublished in The Gazette
Who can use itAnyone 16 or overBritish and Commonwealth citizens 18 or over

GOV.UK does say some organisations, such as some banks, mobile phone companies or energy providers, may only accept an enrolled deed poll, and suggests asking them. If one of yours insists, the court route is still open later. For everything else, an unenrolled deed poll does the job. GOV.UK: change your name by deed poll

Deed poll companies

What about websites that call themselves a deed poll office?

No government department prepares or posts everyday deed polls. The websites that do are private businesses, and some have official-sounding names. That’s perfectly legal, and a good service saves you time and mistakes, but it’s worth knowing who you’re paying and what you get.

We’re an independent UK deed poll provider, not a government office, and we say so on every page. Here’s what £14.95 gets you:

  • Your deed poll prepared from your details and checked by a person
  • Certificate paper with an embossed seal
  • Same-day processing when you order by 6pm, Monday to Friday
  • Free Royal Mail tracked delivery
  • Our acceptance guarantee for UK government departments and public bodies

Shopping around? Our guide to deed poll red flags shows what to check before you pay anyone, us included.

One price, no court, no waiting list

Prepared, checked and posted free for £14.95, with same-day processing when you order by 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Start my deed pollWhat’s included
Already enrolled?

Getting help with an enrolled deed poll

If you enrolled a deed poll in the last 5 years and have a question about it, GOV.UK says to contact the Deed Poll Team at the King’s Bench Division. For older enrolled deeds, it points you to The National Archives. GOV.UK: how to complete the adult deed poll form

Lost an unenrolled deed poll instead? The court has no record of those, so our guide to a lost deed poll explains what to do next.

Around the UK

Scotland and Northern Ireland

The Deed Poll Office deals with England and Wales. GOV.UK says the rules are different if you were born in Scotland, where you can record a change of name with National Records of Scotland, and Northern Ireland has its own recording service for people born there. A deed poll is still widely used across the UK as evidence of a change of name.

Our guides to Scotland and Northern Ireland explain the local routes and when a deed poll is the simpler choice.

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions

Yes, but only for enrolment. The Deed Poll Office is part of the King’s Bench Division of the High Court, at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. It puts deed polls on public record. It doesn’t prepare or post the unenrolled deed polls most people use.

No. An unenrolled deed poll is valid once it’s signed and witnessed, and GOV.UK says you can start using your new name straight away. Enrolment is optional.

GOV.UK says enrolling a deed poll costs £53.05. A solicitor or other authorised witness may also charge to witness your statutory declaration.

GOV.UK says it can take several months, and you can ask for an update 6 months after you apply. An unenrolled deed poll works the day you sign it.

No website sells government deed polls, because there aren’t any. Deed poll websites are private businesses. We’re an independent UK provider, and we say so on every page.

Yes. HM Passport Office’s guidance tells its staff to accept an unenrolled deed poll that’s signed in your old and new names, dated and witnessed, with real ink signatures.

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

Enrolled vs unenrolled deed poll

When enrolment is worth it, and when it isn’t.

What is a deed poll?

What it says, who accepts it and how to get one.

Deed poll red flags

What to check before you pay any provider.

Ready when you are

No court. No waiting list. Just your new name.

Prepared from your details, checked by a person, printed on certificate paper with an embossed seal and posted free. £14.95, all in.

Order for £14.95See what’s included

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

Printed deed poll
£14.95, free delivery

Order now