Guidance on the legal rules and procedures for changing your name in the UK, including deed polls, age requirements, and consent.
Changing your name in the UK takes four simple steps: choose your new name, get a deed poll, sign and witness it correctly, then update your records in the right order. Here is the complete how-to, with costs and timings.
Why do deed poll providers charge such different prices? Free templates, £14.49 online services, £150-£300 solicitors - the legal document is the same. Here’s what each price tier actually buys you, and where it’s just markup.
Changing your name in the UK costs from just £14.49 - the price of a deed poll - because there is no government fee to change your name itself. Here is the honest 2026 breakdown of every cost, from the document to your passport.
A clear, service-specific guide to changing your name in the British Armed Forces: the deed poll, updating JPA through your UPO/RAO, getting a new MOD90, and reporting the change to UK Security Vetting so your clearance stays intact.
Serving a sentence doesn’t remove your legal right to change your name-but prison is the one place where it’s tightly controlled. Here’s exactly how a name change works behind bars under PSO 4455, when a governor can refuse, and the notification duties you cannot ignore.
Yes, you can legally change your name while on probation or on licence - you do not need permission. But you must notify your probation officer or offender manager. Here are the rules, the process, and why telling them matters.
