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Change of name deed for an adult (England and Wales)
England and Wales · in English
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Made for use in England and Wales
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For anyone aged 16 or over who is changing their first name, surname or both — after marriage, divorce or simply by choice — and needs proof for their bank, employer, HM Passport Office or DVLA. An unenrolled deed poll you make yourself: it renounces the old name, adopts the new one and is signed in both names in front of two adult witnesses. GOV.UK explains the free route and the optional enrolment at the Royal Courts of Justice, which costs a fee.
- Made for use in England and Wales
- Last updated October 28, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- You want to change your surname after a divorce in England and need a deed poll.
- Your bank wants proof of your new name before it will change your account.
- You have decided to use a different first name and want a deed to show it in Wales.
- You want to make your own change of name deed rather than pay an agency.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Date
- First name(s) and surname after the change
- Your address (house and street)
- Town or city
- Your postcode
- Former name
Common questions
- Can I make my own deed poll, or does it have to be enrolled?
- You can make your own if you are 16 or over. GOV.UK explains free of charge how to make an unenrolled deed poll, with example wording, and it is valid once signed in front of two witnesses. Enrolling it at the Royal Courts of Justice is optional, and for your own change possible only from 18: it puts the change on public record and in The Gazette, uses the court’s own forms and costs a fee. Most people do not need it, but a few organisations ask for an enrolled deed.
- Who can witness my change of name deed?
- Two adults aged 18 or over who watch you sign, then sign themselves and add their names and addresses. Choose people who are not related to you and do not live at your address: some organisations refuse a deed witnessed by family. Sign in your new name and in your former name, as the deed shows. Make several signed originals at the same sitting, or keep the original safe and send certified copies.
- Do I need a deed poll to take my spouse’s surname after marriage?
- Usually not. Banks, HM Passport Office and most organisations accept the marriage or civil partnership certificate as proof of a new surname, and the divorce papers with your birth or marriage certificate to go back to a former name. A deed poll is for every other change: a new first name, a double-barrelled or entirely new surname, or a change your certificates do not show.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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