A deed poll is a legal document used in the UK to formally change your name. The term comes from the old practice of cutting the edge of the document straight ('polled') rather than indented — a convention that indicated a unilateral declaration rather than an agreement between two parties. Today, a deed poll is simply a written declaration in which you state that you are giving up your former name and intending to be known exclusively by your new name from that point forward.
A deed poll does not need to be registered, approved, or certified by any government body to be valid. It becomes a legally recognised document the moment it is signed by you and witnessed by two adults who are not close relatives. Once signed, you can use it to update your name with the Passport Office, DVLA, banks, HMRC, NHS, your employer, and any other organisation that holds records in your old name. There is no expiry date on a deed poll — it remains valid indefinitely.
You have the right to change your name in the UK for any reason, at any time, as an adult. A deed poll is the standard and most widely accepted legal instrument for doing so. While the document can be produced by a solicitor, there is no legal requirement to use one — a correctly worded deed poll generated by this service is legally identical, at a fraction of the cost.