A deed poll is a legal document that proves a change of name. You can change any part of your name, add or remove names and hyphens, or change spelling. You must be over 16 to do this. 2 witnesses who should not live at the same address as you are required to do this.

There are many reasons for changing a name, and these are just a few examples:

1. Marriage or divorce;

2. In the case of children – adopting mother or father’s surname;

3. If your name is often mis-pronounced or mis-spelt;

4. Couples creating new joint surname by merging and hyphenating names;

5. In families where there are step-children, to give all children of the family a uniform identity and stablise the family;

6. Gender reassignment;

7. Means of self-protection for example in the case of domestic abuse;

8. In memory of a loved one say by adopting a middle name; and

9. To add or remove a middle name.

You can change your name more than once, there are no restrictions but it is important to choose the name you are comfortable with as your Deed Poll should be seen as a permanent change.

We will prepare the document for you and the necessary consent documents. It is a simple process and will only require one visit to any of our offices to sign the document. We will also provide a number of certified copies for your use.

We provide a handy list of who to inform once your Deed is finalised. There is a lot to think about and it can be a little overwhelming but hopefully this list will make the process easier!