To change the name on your British passport, you apply for a new passport in your new name and send HM Passport Office (HMPO) your current passport and your deed poll. HMPO does not amend an existing passport, so you get a new one, and it accepts a deed poll as standard evidence of a change of name. For everything else on the bill, see the full cost of changing your name.
What you need to apply
- Your original signed deed poll. HMPO does not accept photocopies or certified copies, and it posts the original back to you separately.
- Your current passport, which HMPO cancels and returns to you.
- A completed application, either online on GOV.UK or on a paper form ordered from GOV.UK or picked up at a Post Office.
- A photo that meets HMPO rules: digital for an online application, two printed copies for paper.
- The fee: £102 for an adult online, or £115.50 on paper. A child's passport is £66.50 online.
Because your original is with HMPO for a few weeks, update the organisations that accept certified copies (your bank, employer and HMRC) before or alongside your passport. If you want to change your passport and driving licence at the same time, sign two copies of your deed poll in front of your witnesses: each one is an original.
HMPO can also ask for evidence that you are now using your new name, such as a bank statement or payslip in that name. It helps to update your bank or employer before you apply, so you have something to send if they ask.
Get your deed poll in the next few minutes
Fill in the form, check the preview, pay once. Your PDF downloads straight away — one payment of £19.99, no account and nothing that renews.
How long does it take?
HMPO asks you to allow 3 weeks for a standard application, counted from when it receives your documents. Paper applications, and applications where HMPO needs more information, take longer. Your current passport is held while your application is processed, so you cannot travel abroad on it in the meantime.
If you need a passport sooner, the 1-week Fast Track service costs £192 for an adult (£156.50 for a child), and the 1-day Premium service costs £239.50 for adults. Both replace the standard fee rather than adding to it, and both need an appointment at a passport office, which can be hard to get at short notice.
What name goes on your passport?
Your passport shows your new full name as declared in your deed poll, including any middle names. Check that the name on your application matches the deed poll exactly, because a mismatch causes delays. UK passports print names in capital letters and the Passport Office will not accept numbers or symbols, apart from hyphens and apostrophes.
What if your name changed because you married?
If you are simply taking your spouse's or civil partner's surname, you send your marriage or civil partnership certificate instead and no deed poll is needed. You do need a deed poll for a double-barrelled surname, a new surname or a change of first name. See changing your name after marriage.
Changing your gender marker at the same time
You can ask for a name change and a change of gender marker in the same application, but the gender marker needs its own evidence. HMPO's requirements for this have changed more than once, so check GOV.UK for the current rules before you apply.
Children's passports
A child's passport can be renewed in a new name using the child's deed poll. Everyone with parental responsibility must normally agree to the change, and the Passport Office will not go ahead if there is a dispute without evidence of consent or a court order. See our guide to a deed poll for a child.
After your new passport arrives
Your new passport becomes your main photo ID in your new name. Use it, with your deed poll, to update your driving licence, bank accounts and other records. Showing the passport alongside the deed poll also helps with any organisation that is unsure what a deed poll is.