Adult and child deed polls, prepared the same day
A deed poll is the document that changes your name. You can make an unenrolled deed poll today, for £22.50, signed at home in front of two witnesses. Or you can enrol a deed poll through the High Court for £53.05, with solicitor-witnessed forms and a wait of several months. Both are legal. This page sets out the difference, using the government’s own figures, so you can choose in a minute.
UK Deed Poll Office is not a government agency. We prepare unenrolled deed polls for self-declaration, which are the standard way to change a name in England and Wales.
How an unenrolled deed poll works
Your current name, your new name and your UK address. Save and return any time. Pay by card at the end.
Ordered before 3pm, Monday to Friday, your deed poll is checked by a person, printed and posted within two working days by First Class Post, in a plain envelope.
Instructions are in the envelope. From that moment your new name is in effect. Send certified copies to the DVLA, HMRC, your bank and HM Passport Office.
Unenrolled or enrolled?
An unenrolled deed poll is the one you make yourself. An enrolled deed poll is the same declaration put on the public record through the High Court. Here is how they compare.
| Unenrolled deed pollfrom UK Deed Poll Office | Enrolled deed pollthrough the High Court (GOV.UK) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | £22.50. Certified copies and delivery are chosen inside the form. | £53.05 court fee, plus a solicitor’s fee to witness two of the three forms. |
| How long | Prepared the same day before 3pm, posted within two working days. | Several months. GOV.UK says to ask for an update six months after applying. |
| Who can apply | Anyone aged 16 or over. A parent or carer applies for a child. | Aged 18 or over. For a child, every parent’s agreement or a court order. |
| Paperwork | One online form, about five minutes. We print it and post it to you. | Three court forms (LOC020, LOC021, LOC027), a copy of your birth certificate or passport, signatures in front of a solicitor, posted within 28 days. |
| Privacy | Private. Nothing is published. Sent in a plain envelope. | Your old name, new name and address are published in The Gazette, the public record. |
| Where you sign | At home, in front of two witnesses you choose. | Two witnesses for one form, a solicitor for the other two. |
| Support | A person checks every application before it is printed. Email and a UK phone line, Monday to Friday. Save the form and come back any time. | Government helpline, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Application updates only after six months. |
| Accepted by | HM Passport Office, the DVLA, HMRC, UK banks, the NHS, schools and employers. Refused anywhere? Your money back, subject to our terms. | The same organisations. A small number of banks, phone and energy companies may insist on an enrolled deed poll; check with them first. |
Enrolled deed poll fee, timing, forms and Gazette publication: GOV.UK, “Change your name by deed poll”, read 18 September 2026. UK Deed Poll Office does not enrol deed polls.
Do you need one?
Accepted everywhere you need to prove your new name
Your deed poll is a signed and witnessed legal declaration. If any UK organisation refuses it, we refund you in full, subject to our terms. UK Deed Poll Office was established in 2011, has issued over a million deed polls, and prepares about ninety every working day.
Checked by a person
A member of our team reads each application, so a misspelt name never goes out. Questions while you fill it in? Email [email protected] or call +44 1642 049177, Monday to Friday. You can also save the form and come back later.
What arrives in the envelope
Plain envelope. Nothing on the outside says what is inside.
After your deed poll
Forms and letters for HM Passport Office, the DVLA, HMRC, the electoral register, Council Tax, HM Land Registry and Companies House, completed with your new name and posted with your deed poll, in the order to send them. £59.95, tracked delivery included.
Questions people ask before they apply
The deed poll is £22.50. Certified copies (most people take eight to ten), delivery and any optional extras are chosen inside the application, and you see the total before you pay.
Ordered before 3pm, Monday to Friday, it is prepared the same day and posted within two working days by First Class Post.
Yes. An unenrolled deed poll is the standard way to change a name in England and Wales, and no court is involved. Ours is accepted by HM Passport Office, the DVLA, HMRC and UK banks, subject to our terms, or your money back.
Rarely. GOV.UK notes that a small number of organisations, such as some banks, phone or energy providers, may only accept an enrolled deed poll. If one of yours does, ask them in writing first. Everyone else accepts an unenrolled deed poll.
Two UK adults who know you and are not related to you or living with you. A friend, neighbour or colleague is fine. The instructions come in the envelope.
Names that are offensive, that use numbers or symbols, that claim a title you do not hold, or that copy a trade mark can be refused. Hyphens and apostrophes are fine. We do not prepare single-name deed polls, because HM Passport Office may not accept them.
About five minutes. Prepared today if it is before 3pm on a working day. Accepted, or your money back.
