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Deed polls explained

What is a deed poll?

A deed poll is a short legal document that proves you’ve changed your name. You sign it in front of two witnesses, and from that moment the Passport Office, the DVLA, your bank and everyone else can update their records to your new name.

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Accepted by the Passport Office and DVLA
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Ready to use the day you sign
Clear answers, with the source behind them

Everything here is checked against GOV.UK and HM Passport Office’s own rules. The sources are listed at the end.

Updated: 30 October 2026
On this pageQuick answerWhat it saysWho accepts itEnrolled or unenrolledWhen you need oneHow to get oneFAQs

The quick answer

A deed poll is a legal document in which you declare that you’ve given up your old name and will use your new one for all purposes. Once it’s signed and witnessed, it’s proof of your new name. HM Passport Office, the DVLA, HMRC and most banks accept it, and you don’t need a solicitor, a court or any registration to make it valid.

Most people in England and Wales use an unenrolled deed poll like ours. It’s private, it works the day you sign it, and we prepare, print and post it for £14.95.

The basics

What a deed poll actually says

A deed poll is a type of deed: a formal legal document you sign “as a deed” in front of a witness. The law on deeds in England and Wales is in the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989. The “poll” part is old legal English. A deed made by one person was cut straight, or polled, along the top, unlike an agreement between two parties, which was cut with a wavy edge. legislation.gov.uk: what makes a document a deed

The wording is short. GOV.UK’s template has you declare that you’ve given up your old name and adopted your new one for all purposes, that you’ve told the police where that applies, and that you understand the authorities may check the history of both names when you apply for documents such as a passport. GOV.UK: make an unenrolled deed poll

What’s on itWhy it matters
Your old name and your new nameIt’s the link between the two that organisations need to see.
Your addressIt shows who made the declaration.
The declaration that you’ve given up your old nameIt’s the heart of the document, and the wording organisations recognise.
Your signature in your old name and your new nameHM Passport Office asks for a deed signed in both names.
Your witnesses’ names, addresses and signaturesGOV.UK asks for two witnesses aged 18 or over.
The dateThe Passport Office won’t accept a deed poll that isn’t dated.
Using it

Who accepts a deed poll

HM Passport Office’s own caseworker guidance tells its staff to accept an unenrolled deed poll when it’s signed in your old and new names, dated, signed by at least one witness and every signature is a real ink signature. It also says the witness doesn’t need to be a solicitor. HM Passport Office: evidence to change a name

The DVLA updates your driving licence for free when you send it your original deed poll. HMRC, the NHS, councils, employers, universities and utility companies all work from the same document. Most banks list a deed poll too, and our bank by bank guide shows exactly what each one asks for. GOV.UK: change the name on your driving licence

Every deed poll we prepare is backed by our acceptance guarantee. If a UK government department or public body refuses one we prepared correctly, we’ll take it up with them, and if it still can’t be put right, we refund you in full.

Choosing the right type

Enrolled or unenrolled: which do you need?

There are two kinds of deed poll in England and Wales. An unenrolled deed poll is the one almost everyone uses. An enrolled deed poll is the same kind of declaration, put on public record at the High Court.

Unenrolled deed pollEnrolled deed poll
Who can use itAnyone 16 or overAdults 18 or over
CostFree to make yourself, or £14.95 printed by us£53.05 court fee, plus your own paperwork
How long it takesReady the day you sign itGOV.UK says it can take several months
PrivacyPrivate. Only the people you show it to see itYour name change and address are published in The Gazette
Accepted byHM Passport Office, the DVLA, HMRC and most UK organisationsThe same organisations, plus the few that insist on enrolment

GOV.UK notes that a small number of organisations only accept an enrolled deed poll, so if one of yours does, ask it to confirm in writing. For everyone else, an unenrolled deed poll does the job, and it’s quicker, private and far cheaper. Our guide to enrolled and unenrolled deed polls goes into more detail. GOV.UK: enrol a deed poll with the courts

The deed poll most people use

Prepared from your details, checked by a person, printed on certificate paper with an embossed seal and posted with free tracked delivery.

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Your situation

When you need a deed poll

If you’re taking your husband’s or wife’s surname, your marriage certificate covers it with the Passport Office. For almost every other change, a deed poll is the document you need.

What you want to doWhat you need
Change your first name, or add or remove a middle nameA deed poll
Choose a completely new surnameA deed poll
Combine two surnames into one new wordA deed poll. The Passport Office won’t accept a marriage certificate for it
Keep your maiden name as a middle nameA deed poll. A marriage certificate doesn’t cover a new middle name
Take your partner’s surname without marryingA deed poll
Drop half of a double-barrelled surnameA deed poll, in most cases
Go back to your maiden name after a divorceYour certificates can work, but GOV.UK says some organisations still ask for a deed poll
Take your spouse’s surname when you marryYour marriage certificate

Not sure which applies to you? Our guide to whether you need a deed poll runs through every common situation.

Getting started

How to get your deed poll

Choose your new name

Almost any name is fine. Our guide to the rules on new names covers the few limits, such as no numbers or symbols.

Order your deed poll

Fill in our form in about five minutes. We prepare your deed poll, check it and post it free, with same-day processing when you order by 6pm, Monday to Friday. Prefer to do it yourself? Our free generator creates the wording for you to print.

Sign it in front of two witnesses

Two adults who aren’t close relatives and don’t live with you. Our guides to who can witness and how to sign walk you through it.

Start using your new name

Update your driving licence and passport first, then your bank and everything else. Our step-by-step guide and free checklist keep you on track.

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions

Yes. A deed poll is a deed, a formal legal document, and once you’ve signed it in front of your witnesses it’s valid proof of your new name. It doesn’t need to be registered with a court to count.

No. You can make one yourself, use a deed poll service like ours, or ask a solicitor. HM Passport Office’s guidance says your witness doesn’t need to be a solicitor either.

You can make your own for free with our generator and print it at home. Our printed deed poll is £14.95, prepared, checked, printed on certificate paper with an embossed seal and posted with free tracked delivery. Enrolling a deed poll with the High Court costs £53.05 in court fees.

Straight away. GOV.UK says you can use your signed deed poll as proof of your new name as soon as it’s signed. Enrolment, if you need it, can take several months.

Yes. There’s no limit on how many times you can change your name. Keep every deed poll safe, because organisations sometimes ask to see how each name led to the next.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own ways of recording a change of name for people born there. A deed poll is still widely used as evidence of a change of name, and our guides to Scotland and Northern Ireland explain the local routes.

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 change your name, step by step

From choosing your name to updating your last account.

How to sign a deed poll

Signing in both names, your witnesses and the mistakes to avoid.

Enrolled vs unenrolled deed poll

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

Ready when you are

Your new name, on a deed poll done properly.

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

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