Changing your name in the UK is a legal process most people can complete without a solicitor. You do not need a court order, a solicitor, or government approval. The standard method is a deed poll: a legal document in which you formally declare that you are abandoning your previous name and intending to use your new name in all circumstances. Once signed by you and two adult witnesses, the deed poll is your legal evidence of the name change and can be presented to any organisation. The same document covers a full change or something smaller, such as changing your middle name.
The process has three stages. First, create and sign your deed poll. This service generates a correctly worded deed poll instantly: fill in the form, pay £14.99, download the PDF, print it, and sign it in front of two adult witnesses who are not close relatives. Second, work through the organisations that need to be notified. Start with the documents you use most often: your passport or driving licence, your bank, and your employer. Third, update the remaining organisations over time: HMRC, your GP, your pension provider, utility companies, and any other body that holds records under your old name.
There is no deadline for updating your records; you can work through organisations at your own pace. Many people update their most important documents (passport, driving licence) quickly and work through the rest over several weeks or months. Your deed poll remains valid indefinitely, so you can use it to update any organisation at any time after signing.
Do you need a solicitor to change your name?
No. A lot of people assume changing your name needs a solicitor or a court order. It does not. Any adult can do it by deed poll without legal help, and the document carries exactly the same legal weight whether or not a solicitor was involved. A solicitor cannot make your name change any more official. The legal effect comes from you signing the deed poll in front of two adult witnesses, not from who drafted it.
How much does it cost to change your name?
The name change itself is free. There is no government fee to change your name in the UK. What you pay for is producing a correctly worded deed poll document. You can write one yourself for free using wording found online, use an online service like this one for £14.99, or pay a high street solicitor £50–£150. All three produce a legally identical document. The table below compares the typical options.
Budget for what comes after the deed poll too: renewing a passport costs £88.50 and other documents carry their own fees, so the total cost of changing your name usually comes to between £103 and £290.
Deed poll or marriage certificate?
If you are changing your name because you married or entered a civil partnership, you may not need a deed poll at all. Taking your spouse's existing surname is usually evidenced by your marriage or civil partnership certificate, which most organisations accept directly. You only need a deed poll if you want to do more than a straight surname swap: creating a double-barrelled surname, for example, blending both surnames into a new one, or changing your first name as well.
Changing a child's name
A child's name can also be changed by deed poll, but the process differs from an adult's. A parent or guardian with parental responsibility signs on the child's behalf, and everyone with parental responsibility must normally consent. Where there is a dispute between parents, a court may need to decide. This service generates deed polls for adults aged 18 and over.
Changing your name in Scotland and Northern Ireland
The deed poll process described here applies to England and Wales. In Scotland, name changes are more commonly recorded with National Records of Scotland, though an English deed poll is still accepted by UK-wide bodies such as the Passport Office and DVLA. In Northern Ireland, deed polls are used and can be enrolled through the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast.
Who to notify after changing your name
Once your deed poll is signed, you use it to update your records. There is no single place to register the change; you notify each organisation individually. Start with the ones you rely on most: your passport (HM Passport Office), driving licence (DVLA), bank and building society, and employer. After those, work through HMRC, your GP and NHS records, your pension provider, the electoral roll, insurers, utility providers, and any subscriptions or memberships still in your old name. Processing times vary by organisation; see how long a deed poll takes from signing to fully updated records.