To get a deed poll online, you fill in a short form with your current name, your new name and your address - it takes about four minutes - pay from £14.49, and a professionally printed deed poll is dispatched the same day (order before 3pm) by free Royal Mail Tracked post. When it arrives, you and one independent adult witness sign it in wet ink, and your name change is legally complete. No solicitor, no court, no appointment.
This guide walks you through the actual ordering process step by step: what you type in, what lands on your doormat, exactly how to sign and witness the document so HM Passport Office and your bank will accept it, and when it is worth buying extra copies. If you are still deciding whether the whole thing can be done online at all, read can you change your name online in the UK first - this article assumes you have decided to go ahead and just want the fastest route to holding the document.
Why order your deed poll online
A solicitor will happily draft a deed poll for you and charge £150-£300+ for the privilege. The document they produce is no more valid than the one you can order online in minutes. An unenrolled adult deed poll is the standard UK name-change document - legally valid and accepted by HM Passport Office, the DVLA, HMRC, your bank, the NHS, employers and schools. Around 98% of UK name changes are done this way, without ever going near a court.
Ordering online removes the cost, the wait and the paperwork. You get a properly worded, professionally printed deed poll on quality paper, dispatched the same day if you order before 3pm, with free Royal Mail Tracked delivery. UK Name Change has produced these for more than 160,000 customers and holds. Here is how the order works.
Step 1: Fill in your details (about 4 minutes)
The form is short and plain-English. You will enter:
- Your current full legal name - exactly as it appears on your passport or birth certificate.
- Your new full name - the name you are adopting, spelled and capitalised exactly as you want it printed.
- Your address - where the document is posted and the address recorded on the deed.
- Your date of birth - you must be 16 or over to sign your own deed poll.
A few things worth getting right at this stage. You do not need to include a title such as Mr, Mrs, Ms, Mx or Dr - a title is not legally part of your name, so there is nothing to change with a deed poll and no need to mention it. Double-check the spelling of your new name letter by letter, because the document is printed exactly as you type it. And remember anyone aged 16 or over can change their own name; for a child under 16 you would need the consent of everyone with parental responsibility and the child deed poll service instead.
Step 2: Choose your options and pay
The adult deed poll starts at £14.49. At checkout you confirm your details and decide how many copies you want (more on that below). Payment is taken securely, and that is the order placed - there is no follow-up phone call, no document to upload and nothing to print yourself.
One option you can safely ignore is court enrolment. Enrolling a deed poll at the Royal Courts of Justice costs £53.05, takes two to three weeks and publishes your old and new name publicly in the London Gazette. It adds no legal validity whatsoever - your unenrolled deed poll is already fully accepted by every UK organisation. For the overwhelming majority of people, enrolment is an unnecessary cost and an unwelcome loss of privacy.
Order extra copies while you are here
This is the single most useful tip for a smooth name change. HM Passport Office, the DVLA and most banks need to see the original wet-ink signed deed poll - not a photocopy - and some keep it for a while before returning it. If you only have one original and post it to the Passport Office, you cannot update your bank or driving licence until it comes back.
Ordering a few additional original copies at the same time means you can update several organisations in parallel and your name change is done in days rather than weeks. Extra originals cost a small fraction of the first document, and it is far cheaper to add them now than to order a fresh batch later. Most people find two or three originals covers passport, bank and DVLA comfortably.
Step 3: Your deed poll arrives in the post
Orders placed before 3pm are dispatched the same working day. Your deed poll travels by free Royal Mail Tracked post in protective packaging, so it arrives flat and undamaged. What you receive is a finished, professionally printed legal document - correctly worded and ready to sign. There is nothing to assemble or reformat; the only thing missing is the signatures, which is the next and final step.
Step 4: Sign and witness it (this is what makes it legal)
A deed poll only takes legal effect once it is signed and witnessed correctly, so this step matters. Do not rush it.
How to sign your deed poll
Sign in wet ink (a normal pen - black or blue), in the places indicated. Where the document asks you to sign in both your old name and your new name, do exactly that. Sign by hand on the original paper document; a typed, scanned or photographed signature will not be accepted.
Who can be your witness
Your witness must be an independent adult aged 18 or over. Crucially, they cannot be a relative, your partner, or anyone who lives at your address. A neighbour, colleague, friend or someone like a teacher or shopkeeper is ideal. The witness watches you sign, then adds their own signature, full name and address in the witness section. Getting the witness right is the most common point people slip up on, and an improperly witnessed deed poll can be rejected.
What to do with it next
Once signed and witnessed, the document is live and your name has legally changed. You then send or show your original deed poll to update your records. Many of these updates are free: the DVLA updates your driving licence at no charge, and banks, HMRC, the NHS, employers and utility companies all update your name for free too. The main paid update is your passport - a UK adult passport is £102 online or £115.50 by post, with a one-week Fast Track at £192 and a one-day Premium service at £239.50 if you are in a hurry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get a deed poll online?
The order itself takes around four minutes. If you order before 3pm on a working day, your deed poll is dispatched the same day by Royal Mail Tracked post, so most people have it in hand within a couple of days. It becomes legally effective the moment you sign and witness it - there is no waiting period.
How many copies of my deed poll should I order?
For most people, two or three originals is the sweet spot - one to send to HM Passport Office, one for your bank, and one spare for the DVLA or other organisations. Because several bodies require the original (not a photocopy) and may hold it temporarily, having extra originals lets you update everyone at once. Adding copies at the time of ordering is much cheaper than buying more later.
Do I have to enrol my deed poll for it to count?
No. An unenrolled deed poll is fully legal and accepted everywhere that matters. Court enrolment (£53.05) simply publishes your name change in the London Gazette and adds no legal weight. Around 98% of UK name changes are unenrolled. If you want the full breakdown of free versus paid options, read our guide on whether a free DIY deed poll is legal.
Can a family member witness my deed poll?
No. The witness must be an independent adult aged 18 or over who is not a relative, not your partner and does not live at your address. Choose a friend, neighbour or colleague instead. An incorrectly witnessed deed poll can be refused by the Passport Office or your bank.
Do I need a solicitor?
No. A solicitor would charge £150-£300+ for exactly the same document you can order online from £14.49. There is no legal advantage to using one for a straightforward name change.
Ready to get your deed poll?
You are about four minutes away from holding an official, legally valid name-change document. Choose your copies, sign with a witness when it arrives, and start updating your passport, bank and driving licence. Start your adult deed poll now from £14.49 with same-day dispatch and free tracked delivery.
