DEED POLL SIGNING, WITNESSES & EXECUTION

Once you receive your Deed Poll, you must sign it and have it witnessed. The legal term for this is “execution". We will send a document along with your Deed Poll that will tell you how to execute your Deed Poll (and any duplicate copies) so that your change of name becomes fully valid. It is solely your responsibility to ensure that this takes place. The procedure is relatively simple and the following basic rules apply:

WHO CAN WITNESS A DEED POLL?

• If you are a British and a resident in mainland UK or Northern Ireland, your witness must be aged 18 or over.
• Your witness must know you, and not be suffering from any mental incapacity.
• Your witness must be independent of you. As such, your witness can be a friend, neighbour or colleague, but they may not be a relative, your partner, or someone you live with.
• Your witness must be present when you sign your Deed Poll
• If you are British and are living abroad (or anywhere other than mainland UK or Northern Ireland), or if your Deed Poll needs to be "legalised," your Deed Poll may need to be witnessed by a solicitor or notary public. See below for more information about “legalisation.”
• If you are a foreign national, check with your embassy to see what is required in your home country.

We cannot provide further copies of your Deed Poll after you have applied, unless you place a new order with us. However, if you still have one copy of your Deed Poll, you can obtain a “certified” copy from a solicitor. A certified copy of your original Deed Poll will be a satisfactory alternative for most record-holders if you do not want to send your original through the post. If you do not have any remaining copies of your Deed Poll and you need one, you must apply for a new one.

Additionally, your Deed Poll may have to be “legalised” if it must be used and recognised abroad. For more information on getting your Deed Poll Certified or Legalised, or how to obtain duplicate copies of your Deed Poll, visit our "Deed Poll guide" page.

FAQs

• What does my witness have to do after I have signed my Deed Poll?
• Can I withdraw my signature as a witness from a deed poll?
• Why does your deed poll have provision for signature of only 1 witness instead of 2 as listed on the gov.uk website?
• I live in a block of flats. Can somebody who also lives in my flats, and who is not related to me, be my witness?
• I am not a UK national, but I live in the UK and want to change my name on my UK records - who should be my witness?
• Who should be my witness if I am a UK national, and I live in Jersey?
• Who should be my witness if I am a UK national, but I live outside the UK?
• If my witness is a student, can they put “student” as their “Occupation” on my Deed Poll?
• If my witness is unemployed, what should they put for “Occupation” on my Deed Poll?
• Do I need to get a solicitor to witness my Deed Poll?