Non-UK citizens living in the UK can change their name by deed poll in exactly the same way as British nationals. A deed poll is not restricted to UK citizens — it is a legal instrument available to any adult resident in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Once signed and witnessed, a deed poll is valid as evidence of a name change with UK-based organisations, including banks, employers, the NHS, and HMRC.
However, there is an important limitation for foreign nationals: a UK deed poll changes your name in UK records but does not change the name on your foreign passport or national ID documents. Your home country's authorities will not recognise a UK deed poll as a basis for changing your name in their records. This can create a discrepancy between the name on your UK records and the name on your passport from your country of nationality. Some organisations — particularly the Passport Office and Home Office — may want your documents to be consistent.
For this reason, many foreign nationals living in the UK find it most practical to update UK-specific records (bank, employer, NHS, HMRC) with the deed poll, while keeping their home-country passport and ID documents in their original name. If you are a UK resident seeking British citizenship, be aware that your name on naturalisation documents should match your current legal name, which will be the one on your UK records once the deed poll is in place.