A Deed Poll is a document used for legally changing name. Whatever the reason for a name change (changing a surname after divorce for example, or changing a first name) it can be completed free of charge by using an MD Pryke Notary Public LLP Deed Poll form as laid out below.
A Deed Poll is a term with which most people are familiar. If they are intent on a new name people believe they must visit a Solicitor or a Notary Public to change name legally by Deed Poll. A legal name change, however, is a simple process and can be completed free of charge in three easy steps.
Free name change step 1.
Download a free Deed Poll here
Free name change step 2.
Simply open the Deed Poll thumbnail and follow the instructions written in red. You must delete the red writing and replace it as per the Deed Poll instructions.
Free name change step 3.
Once you have filled in the Deed poll, you must sign it and get it witnessed by an independent third party as per the instructions on the Deed Poll.
Once your Deed Poll is filled out correctly, you have now changed your name by Deed Poll.
Your name change is now 100% legal – KEEP THE DOCUMENT IN A SAFE PLACE!
Should anyone question your new name, this completed Deed Poll certificate will verify your change of identity. To change your name on a Passport, government document, etc, you will need to present either your original Deed Poll or an official certified copy.
For further information on our free legal name change Deed Poll, or on any of our Notary Public Services please contact Matthew on 0207 6364422.
I wanted to cange my name to nabela jacob and they wanted to cjarge me 48pound from deedpool and on internet thy offer or free.
Thanks for providing this free notary public deed poll download. Having seen that you have made this document available for free I cannot believe that other companies are charging fees for this services.
One question I have is can a Notary Public be a witness for a deed poll document?
I am glad that you have found the draft deed poll download a useful resource. Do please ensure that you take appropriate legal advice to ensure that the deed poll document you sign is accurate and correct.
In relation to a Notary Public acting as a witness, yes this is possible. However most notaries are likely to charge a reasonable notary fee to act a the witness to the signing of a deed poll document. Therefore it is worth considering whether it is necessary for the Notary Public to act as the witness. A Notary is often required if the document needs to be recognised in a foreign jurisdiction. Alternatively some people simply want to get a professional such as a Notary Public to witness the document to provide the document with a certain “gravitas”. After all taking the decision to change your name can be a very important moment for most people and therefore it is understandable that they want the document to reflect this.
The other occassion that often requires the involvement of a Notary, is when an invididual wishes to produce a number of Notarised copies. This is so that they can provide these copies to authorities rather than the original signed and notarise deed poll document.
In our Notary Public London office we have often acted as a witness to the signing of Deed Poll documents and if you would like our assistance we would be more than happy to assist.
I want to change my son’s last name to remove a hyphen from his last name. He is 4. Can I use the same form?
Thank you
What about a child deed poll – can you help with that please?
How would I go about changing my name and title? Could I just type my new title before my new name?
Dear Matthew,
In regards to your free deed poll form;-
I have sole parental custody of my daughter as her biological father is dead.
I am remarrying and she would like to have the same surname as us.
Can we use your free dead poll form for her; a child aged 13?
Would it also be legal for her to use this from to obtain a passport?
Thank you
Sorry I meant can we use the free DEED Poll from for her. SORRY>
Hi, i changed my name many years ago from Kemp to Brown.
Can i change it back to Kemp?
Yes by using the deed poll name change document you can alter your name to any name, including a previous name. The key is you must intend to use this name absolutely and leaving behind your previous name. Do get in touch if you require any further information otherwise I hope that the free deed poll document will prove to be of use to you.
Dear Matthew,
In regards to your free deed poll form 🙂
Im Italian (EU citizen) also living in UK-london for 6 years, so, Im resident in UK.
What type of deed poll should I use, I have noticed many different ones: —->
Colonies 11(1)
Choose this option if, on 1st January 1983, you were resident in a British Overseas territory, and you at that time had the right of abode in the United Kingdom under the Immigration Act 1971.
Abandonment clause
If you were found abandoned in the United Kingdom as a newborn baby (or in a British Overseas territory in 1983 or later) and as a result inheritied British citizenship under clause 1(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981, choose this option.
Descent clause
If you were born outside of the United Kingdom or her qualifying territories, and either your father or mother was that that time a British citizen, choose this option.
Registration 4C
Choose this option if you were born between 1961 and 1983, outside of the United Kingdom or her qualifying territories, and you were subsequently admitted as a British citizen under section 4C of the British Nationality Act 1981.
None of the above
If none of the above matches your situation, you will need to seek legal advice as to the correct wording of your Deed Poll.
Help me please, you can send me a template deed poll to my email is its possible.
Regards
Carlos Daniel
Sir,
Can I use the same wording for my kids but at the signature to put my signature, as their parent or both parents instead? My kids are under 10, hence can’t sign themselves.
SIGNED AND DELIVERED AS A DEED
by the parents/guardian
Name in full Signature
John Smith J.Smith
father
Name in full signature
Jane Smith J.Smith
Mother
in the presence of:
Signature Of Witness
………………………………….
Name of Witness: . ………………………………….
Address of Witness: ………………………………….
………………………………….
Profession of Witness: ………………………………….
I know you were asked many times the same question, about kids and how to use or if we can use it but did not see any reply yet. I don’t know if you are replying to them by email-privately, hence the same question as other parents, hoping that you will reply and help us.
Knowing how busy you might be, I would like to thank you in advance for your time and help.
Kind regards
Flag
will the document i print be good enough for banks dvla and the passport office?
I wrote last week and for some reason my question was not allowed. It was a simple question if and how to do to change the name for a kid?
Anyway I found one sample and would like to add to this site so others can use it.
Deed of Change of Name
BY THIS DEED OF CHANGE OF NAME made by myself the undersigned ENTER YOUR NAME
AS THE PARENT of Address ENTER YOUR HOME ADDRESS
HEREBY DECLARE AS FOLLOWS
1. ON BEHALF OF my son/daughter named ENTER PREVIOUS NAME, I absolutely and entirely
renounce, relinquish and abandon the use of his/her former name of ENTER PREVIOUS NAME
and in place thereof will assume, adopt and determine to take and use from the date hereof the
name of ENTER NEW NAME in substitution for his/her former name of ENTER PREVIOUS
NAME
2. AT ALL TIMES my son/daughter shall at all times hereafter in all records, deeds, documents
and other writings and in all actions and proceedings, as well as in all dealings and transactions
and on all occasions whatsoever use and subscribe the said name of ENTER NEW NAME as
his/her name, in substitution for his/her former name of ENTER PREVIOUS NAME so relinquish
as aforesaid to the intent that he/she may hereafter be called, known or distinguished by the
name of ENTER NEW NAME only and not by his/her former name of ENTER PREVIOUS NAME
3. I AUTHORISE and require all persons at all times hereafter to designate, describe and address
my son/daughter by the adopted name of ENTER NEW NAME
IN WITNESS whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this day ENTER DATE of ENTER MONTH
20ENTER YEAR
Signed as a Deed by the above named
ENTER YOUR NAME AS THE PARENT
_______________________________
(Signature of ENTER YOUR NAME AS THE PARENT)
In the presence of
ENTER FULL NAME AND ADDRESS OF WITNESS
_______________________________
(Signed by witness)
Occupation: ENTER WITNESS OCCUPATION
Will a home printed deed poll really be sufficient for a new passport and driving licence?
Phoebe, Thank you for the email and for getting in touch with us. Whether a free deed poll name change document is printed at home, in an office or on fancy paper has no significance to the legal effect. Crucially so long as the deed poll document is legible, accurately produced and executed correctly with witnesses then the document can be more than sufficient. Unfortunately there are a number of companies who have created the impression that for a deed poll document to be valid it must be on thick legal paper and have an embossed stamp with ribbons. This simply is not the case. I would advice that anyone thinking of taking the step to change their name should do so with consideration and the correct advice. Also it makes sense for the document to be clean and clear so that authorities such as the Passport Agency and the DVLA can use these documents to update your details without concern. Crucially I advise my notary clients to arrange for a few certified copies to be taken of the document. In this way the original document can be preserved and not lost and certified copies can be provided to the various agencies to update the records as to your name change accordingly. I hope this helps and do feel free to get in touch if I can provide any further information about deed poll documents.
Can I incorperate a title change into this deed poll, for example from Mr to Miss? If so, how can this be done?
Lindsey, Thank you for your email and the interest that you have taken in our Notary Public website. When drafting and executing a change of name deed poll you can use this as an opportunity to change your title. When using a deed poll to change your name, there is no restrictions placed on an individual if they also wish to change their title to a recognised British social title. Examples of this may include, from Mrs to Miss, Miss to Mrs or from Miss to Ms. It is also possible to change a social title for transsexuals e.g. from Mr to Miss, Miss to Mr etc. Please note, it is perfectly acceptable for a single woman to chose to use the title Mrs. Practically this is achieved by including the full name and title in the old and new names when drafting the deed poll. This should be clear and state both the previous and future titles which are committed to be used by the individual once the name change deed poll has been fully executed and witnessed. I trust that this answers your question regarding the scope of a deed poll document and thank you again for getting in touch.
Many thanks for this resource. As a young woman desperately looking for an official change of name due to avoiding people from an abusive past tracking me down, I was reticent to put my details into some online “for profit” company.
On the above note. May I confirm the requirement is for only ONE witness, and not two? Obviously discretion is very important under my circumstances – to a large extent I am attempting to “cut ties” and my circle of “trustworthy people” is small.
Many thanks again
Thank you for getting in touch and I hope that the free deed poll template on the website is of use to you. The requirement for valid execution of the deed poll document is for a single witness to sign the document and include their details (name, address etc.) to confirm witnessing the signatures of the inidividual that wishes to take up a new name. You may have more than one individual witness the signing of the name change document however this is not a legal requirement to make the document valid and legally binding. Please let me know if require any further clarification otherwise thank you again for showing an interest in this Notary Public website and have a very enjoyable weekend.
I printed off the document and filled it in with a witness and took it into the Passport Office along with old (still in date) passport under the “1 day scheme” where you get the passport back in 4 hours. So evidence of name change, old passport, new photos, correctly filled in form, etc.
However. The Passport Office contacted me by phone a couple hours later – in a rather aggressive manner – suggesting I need further “evidence” of the name change in terms of having already done it with my doctors, bank,HMRC etc? (even though it is basically just using second name and then my fathers surname rather than married surname or my old maiden name, which is my mothers). Now I’m in limbo with no passport, awaiting a letter.
My living situation has been precarious for the last few years, and this may have “flagged it up” for them as I couldn’t immediately answer some questions about my address/living situation etc.
So I THINK that this may have been a one off in relation to my particular situation, but just thought I would point this out/raise it in case it helps anyone else or maybe you could comment?
Many thanks
Thank you for the email and for getting in touch to share your experience of changing your name by Deed Poll and then contacting the Identity and Passport Service to ensure a Passport Name change to reflect your newly adopted name. As you would expect I cannot comment on this specific instance because I do not know the specific reasons that the IPS chose to contact you. Whilst you indicate that there are various issues, of which I have no knowledge, that “flagged it up” for the Passport authorities I understand that it is not unusual for the Identity and Passport Services to contact indivudals who seek to change the name on their passport by Deed Poll. There is some useful information on this government website about the information required to change your name and personal details on your passport https://www.gov.uk/changing-passport-information
Whilst I cannot comment on your particular circumstances I can confirm that when you change your name by Deed Poll you are making a committment to take up and use your adopted name to the exclusion of your previous name. Therefore once a Name Change document has been signed it is expected that you would then update the various authorities who would need to have “evidence” of this name change by reviewing a copy of the signed Deed Poll. These authorities, who would want to see a copy of the Deed Poll (or sometimes the original or a notarised copy) would include the DVLA, HMRC, Identity and Passport Services, your bank, your doctor etc. Therefore whilst you may have been understandably surprised about the questions asked of you I would suggest that the authorities are only making reasonable enquiries to determine that the Deed Poll is used to change your name and evidence this change after the individual has signed the Deed Poll.
Therefore if you have signed the deed poll you must be committed to changing your name. Therefore if this is the case, do not be put off, rather use the deed poll to evidence to all of the authorities, including the Identity and Passport Services that you have changed your name. These authorities may ask further questions and these may be targetted towards understanding that the name change has been adopted entirely throughout your life.
I hope this helps and if you have any other questions about the deed poll name change document or dealing with authorities to update them with your new name then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Hi Mathew,
I have the same question as many of the others which hasn’t been answered on this page yet.
Can this template be used to change the name of a child under 16 by someone with parental responsibilty???
I look forward to your response as soon as possible.
Regards,
SF
Hi There,
Thank you for getting in touch and seeking clarification as to the use of this name change template. In circumstances that relate to a child I would always advise seeking independent professional advice. This Notary public website is provided free to members of the public but is not a substitute for advice from advisors who are familiar with the particular facts and circumstances of your child. Please ensure that any name change is not undertaken lightly or without a committment to use the Deed Poll as a means to change a name entirely moving forward.
I understand you wish to use the free deed poll form to change your child’s name and therefore it is important to determine the reason. This is why I suggest seeking the advice of a professional who is aware of your circumstances. If this name change is on the basis of an adoption then I have provided more information below. If this is not the case then please do contact our Notary public website with the specific reasons behind the name change and I will be more than happy to provide further clarification as to drafting requirements for the Deed Poll.
A child who has been formally adopted via a government department scheme does not need a Deed Poll to change their surname. This is because the adoption certificate issued (replacing the original birth certificate) provides the necessary documentary evidence that the child’s surname has changed to that of the adopted family’s surname. This is the evidence that you need to provide to the authorities to confirm the change of name. Once you have supplied this adoption certificate to the authorities all of the government departments, companies and organisations will take this as sufficient evidence and should update their records to use only the new family.
If the parents who adopt the child wish to change their adopted child’s first names (or family name), they can do so by Deed Poll. The deed poll needs to be carefully drafted and also in these circumstances the formal written consent is required of anyone named as a parent on the adoption certificate.
I trust this provides you with some additional information and please do get in touch should you require further clarification as to how to draft and execute a deed poll name change documents.
Matthew – Notary Public based in Mayfair, London
Hi Matthew,
Thank you so much for your reply.
The child is 2 years old and both parents (biological parents both with parental responsibility) are named on the birth certificate. We wish to change childs first name as we no longer like her current name and have had a chnage of heart.
I would be grateful if you could let me know how We would use te template you have provided above and how & where it needs to be amended?
You can either reply here or on the email i have provided.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
SF
Hi Matthew,
I would really appreciate it if you could reply to my last query which i have copied and pasted for u below. I would be very grateful
Hi Matthew,
Thank you so much for your reply.
The child is 2 years old and both parents (biological parents both with parental responsibility) are named on the birth certificate. We wish to change childs first name as we no longer like her current name and have had a chnage of heart.
I would be grateful if you could let me know how We would use te template you have provided above and how & where it needs to be amended?
You can either reply here or on the email i have provided.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
SF
HI Matthew,
How will I get ‘an official certified copy ‘ of my deed poll ? Can I sign multiple copies of deed poll and ask witness to sign on each one to have some spare copy.
I will appreciate if you can advise.
Thanks
Hi There,
Yo get an official certified copy of your Deed Poll you will need to get the original Signed Deed Poll to be copied and certified by a professional such as a solicitor. The Deed Poll copy would be certified as “A TRUE COPY OF THE ORIGINAL”.
This ertified copy should then be acceepted by various authorities as evidencing the execution of the original Deed Poll.
I hope this is helpful and please do contact our London Notary Public Office should you have any further questions about excution of Deed Polls.
Hi
Just a quick question. The person acting as a witness can this be anyone of my choosing or are there any restrictions?
I understand that having someone who is not related would be a good idea however outside that can I ask anyone for example (employer, friend, person of upstanding in the company) or would it be best to ask a lawyer etc to witness the signing.
Thank you.
Hi Matthew
Thanks for making this simple template available. One question, the ‘official certified copy’ – can that be a photocopy of your original or can you sign, say if you needed six, six originals, each signd by the witness to be sent out to officials – Is this what is considered a ‘copy’.
Would be grateful for your opinion, I plan to change my name in May 2014.
Thank-you
Avalina