Guidance on the legal rules and procedures for changing your name in the UK, including deed polls, age requirements, and consent.
An enrolled deed poll registers your name change at the Royal Courts of Justice and publishes it publicly in the London Gazette for £53.05. This 2026 guide explains exactly what that means - and why, for most people, it's a privacy and cost trade-off with no legal upside.
Can you use DocuSign or a stylus to sign your deed poll? No. We explain why the Passport Office and DVLA still require a traditional "wet ink" signature on physical paper.
Why do some banks ask for an "Enrolled" Deed Poll? We explain why they are usually wrong, the privacy risks of enrolling, and the rare cases where you might actually need it.
Does HM Passport Office accept deed polls? Yes - including unenrolled ones. Here are HMPO's strict rules on original wet-ink documents, witnesses and legal wording, plus the real reasons applications get rejected and how to avoid them.
Yes, the DVLA accepts unenrolled deed polls and updating the name on your UK driving licence is completely free. Here is exactly how to do it with form D1, what to post, the original deed poll requirement, timings, and photocard versus paper rules.
Banks don’t reject deed polls because they’re invalid - they reject them because of how they look and how they’re presented. Here’s why it happens and the exact steps to guarantee your bank accepts your name change first time.
