Change of Name FAQ

Personal Legal Services » Family Matrimonial and Divorce » Change of Name FAQ

About Change of Name Deed (commonly known as Deed Poll)

A Change of Name Deed, more commonly known as a Deed Poll, is a document that provides evidence of any change to your name, allowing you to get all official documents changed into your new name.

What should I do once I have changed my name by Deed?

Once you have changed your name by way of Deed, you should write out to everyone who holds records in your previous name and request that your records are changed in line with your Change of Name Deed. See the section entitled “Who to advise of my change of name” for further information about who you should inform of your change of name.

Once you have changed your name on all of your existing records, we would recommend that you keep your change of name deed in a safe place as you may wish to rely upon it in the future. We do offer an archive service for the deed free of charge and would refer you to the section entitled “How do I arrange for my Change of Name Deed to be archived” for further information about this service.

Are there certain criteria which I must meet before I change my name by Deed?

Before we will draft a Deed of Change of Name Deed, we would ask you to consider the following questions:-

Are you a citizen of the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland)?
Are you over the age of 18?
Is the Change of Name Deed for yourself?

Assuming that you answer yes to all of the above questions, we will happily provide you with a Change of Name Deed online.

Are there any restrictions on the name I can adopt?

No, so long as you are not changing your name for fraudulent purposes, there are no restrictions on the name you use or the reason for your change of name deed.

Free Archive System

At Taylor Emmet Solicitors we offer a free archive service for all persons wishing to ensure that the Deed is safely archived. We do however charge an administrative cost of £15 for retrieval of the document from our archive system. This is payable in advance.

To return your document for us to archive you simply need to return a signed, dated, and witnessed copy to us in the freepost envelope provided. We would, however, recommend that you obtain proof of postage as we will not take responsibility for any Deeds lost within the postal system.

Archiving your Change of Name Deed will prevent you from incurring unnecessary costs by entering into a further Deed in the future.

Who can witness my Change of Name Deed

Any person over the age of 18 can witness your Change of Name Deed as long as they know you and are independent of you. Therefore, the Change of Name Deed cannot be witnessed by a relative, partner or any other person living with you.

How many copies should I obtain?

We would recommend that you obtain a minimum of 3 copies. Most of our clients take away with them one original plus three copies. Whilst some places will accept photocopies of the Deed, most record holders such as the DVLA, Passport Office will require an original Deed or a certified copy. Whilst you can request that the original document is returned to your care, there is no guarantee that this document will be returned.

Our charges are £2 including VAT per certified copy. To have a copy of the original document certified by a Solicitor, you are likely to incur charges in the region of £5-£7 per document.

Who to advise that I have changed my name by Deed

You should let all persons know that hold your records in your previous name that you have entered into a Change of Name Deed. This is because you have signed a declaration that you are abandoning the use of your former name and have declared that you will only use your new name in the future.

The list provided below is not fully comprehensive but should give you some indication of the organisations that you should advise of your Change of Name Deed:-

Passport Office
DVLA
Your bank/building society/mortgage provider
Your employer/college/university
Your doctor/dentist
Inland Revenue
Utility suppliers
Local authority (for council tax and register of electors)
Insurance companies.

What happens next?

Fill in the form on the link below and arrange payment. Once we receive your completed form we will prepare your Change of Name Deed within five working days and e-mail or post it to you with instructions.

If you have requested certified copies, you will need to return the signed and witnessed form to us and we will arrange for the certified copies and original to be sent out to you within five working days.

Get Started from £90

The service does not include any advice by telephone, letter or face to face meeting. We are only able to respond to Emails if they refer to the information on the Change of Name Deed itself. If you have any questions please email namechange@tayloremmet.co.uk or use the contact form click here! If you have asked us to start work immediately your documents will be Posted within three working days.

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If you are interested in understanding how Taylor Emmet can help you with your family law issues then please contact us.

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Frequently asked questions about Family Law

What is family law?

When we talk about ‘family law’, we are typically discussing any legal matters that are related to family relationships. This could involve marriages, civil partnerships, cohabitation, parents and children, and the individual arrangements that are made in relation to these relationships.

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How much does a Family Solicitor cost?

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How can we avoid going to court?

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At Taylor Emmet, we are the only firm in Sheffield to offer the full range of options, meaning we are well positioned to help you find a solution to your matter while keeping conflict to a minimu.

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Is it better to have a Solicitor in the family court?

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