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Frequently Asked Questions - Changing your name through marriage If your change of name relates to civil partnerships, divorce, the dissolution of civil partnerships or gender realignment then please visit the FAQ pages which are dedicated to these topics. How to change your name after getting married When you can use your marriage certificate to change your name When you may need documentation other than a marriage certificate to change your name When you can not use your marriage certificate to change your name How to change your name after getting married (continued) Applying for a Deed Poll Using a Deed Poll Safety and Security Further Help & Advice How to change your name after getting married If you are a British Citizen* and full-time resident of the United Kingdom then you can change your name at any time you wish, as long as your change of name is not be intended to defraud or deceive another person in any way. *British Citizens include: British Nationals, British Overseas Territories Citizens, British Overseas Citizens, British Subjects and British Protected Persons. Apply For Your Deed Poll When you can use your marriage certificate to change your name You can use your marriage certificate for the following types of name change: If you are female and, after marriage, wish to adopt the title of ‘Mrs’ then you can use your marriage certificate to do so. Adopting your husband’s surname You can adopt your husband’s surname using your marriage certificate, no other documentation is required. Continuing to use your current name You can continue to use your current name after getting married, there is no legal requirement to change your name upon marriage, your marriage certificate will show the name you were using before you got married meaning that you can continue to use this name. When you may need documentation other than a marriage certificate to change your name The following circumstances may require you to provide documentation other than a marriage certificate: A husband who intends to adopt his wife’s surname may need further evidence, such as a Deed Poll, to be able to do so. The Identity & Passport Service and The DVLA will allow you to adopt your wife’s surname with the use of your marriage certificate. However, other organisations and companies may not accept a marriage certificate as proof of this type of name change, so further documentation (such as a Deed Poll) will be required if this is the case. Apply For Your Deed Poll To combine your surname with your husband’s or your wife’s you may be able to use your marriage certificate to do this. The Identity & Passport Service and the DVLA will allow you to combine your surnames with the use of your marriage certificate. However, other organisations and companies may not accept a marriage certificate as proof of this type of name change, so further documentation (such as a Deed Poll) will be required if this is the case. Apply For Your Deed Poll When you can not use your marriage certificate to change your name You can not use your marriage certificate for the following types of name change: Adopting a completely new name If you intend to adopt a completely new name, which is not your husband’s or your wife’s, then you can not use your marriage certificate to do this. You would need proof of your name change, such as a Deed Poll. Apply For Your Deed Poll Adopting your husband’s or your wife’s surname for use as a middle name To adopt your husband’s or your wife’s surname as your middle name, you can not use your marriage certificate to do this, further documentation would be required as proof of this type of name change. Apply For Your Deed Poll If I can’t use my marriage certificate to do so, do I need a Deed Poll to be able change my name? If you can’t use your marriage certificate for your circumstances, then you will need further proof of your name change, this would usually need to be a Deed Poll, but a statutory declaration or a notice which has been placed in the press can sometimes be used instead. To change your name on some bank or building society accounts, using a Deed Poll is the only way you would be able to do so. You can use our interactive tool to find out if a Deed Poll is required for your circumstances by answering a few questions about your name change. Apply For Your Deed Poll With a Deed Poll it is very easy to change your name because, once you and your witness have signed your Deed Poll, you can then use this to have all of your records and documents changed or updated, including on your passport and driving licence. When you receive a Deed Poll from us, we provide a detailed guide on whom you might need to inform about your change of name and how you would go about doing this; therefore, you don’t need to worry about spending time writing a list and finding all of the addresses of these people as we have hopefully done most, if not all, of this for you. Having a Deed Poll prepared if straight-forward, all you need to do is provide us with the relevant details and we will prepare the Deed Poll for you in accordance with The Enrolment of Deeds (Change of Name) Regulations 1994. Apply For Your Deed Poll Why is a solicitor not required, I thought they had to prepare and sign the Deed Poll? A solicitor is not required to prepare or sign your Deed Poll as the change of name is affecting only the person who is changing their name, therefore, there is no legal requirement for a solicitor to prepare or sign a Deed Poll for this purpose. The Deed Polls we provide are prepared in accordance with The Enrolment of Deeds (Change of Name) Regulations 1994 and are fully certified. Only the person who is changing their name and one witness will need to sign the Deed Poll. Apply For Your Deed Poll Who can be a witness for my Change of Name? A witness for your change of name can be anyone who 18 or over, a full-time resident of the United Kingdom, who also does not live with you and who is not related to you. Apply For Your Deed Poll Applying for a Change of Name Deed What do I need to do to change my name? All you need to do is provide us with the required information so that we can prepare a Change of Name Deed for you. This can be done securely online, over the telephone or by post. Apply For Your Deed Poll How long does it take to change my name? If you use the Fast-Track Priority and Special Delivery services, then your deed poll can be prepared today and with you as soon as tomorrow*. If you use the Standard Service, your deed poll will be prepared within 7-10 days and delivered by First Class post. For full details of our delivery services and to find out how quickly your deed can be prepared, please visit our Fees & Services section. *this only applies to applications which are received by 4.30pm, Monday-Friday, excluding bank holidays. Applications received after 4.30pm on a working day, or at the weekend, will be prepared on the next working day, for delivery the day after. Apply For Your Deed Poll What happens after I’ve applied for a Deed Poll? After you’ve applied, we will process your application and prepare your Deed Poll for you, you don’t need to do anything else until you receive your Deed Poll, but all you need to do then is sign it in the presence of a witness, who must sign the document also. Your Deed Poll is then legal and ready to use straight away. Apply For Your Deed Poll How much does it cost to change my name by Deed Poll? A Change of Name Deed for an adult costs £49, this includes VAT and FREE Standard Delivery. Apply For Your Deed Poll Do I have to pay any other costs for changing my name? The IPS and The DVLA will charge you to change your name on your passport and driving licence respectively. The fees for this can be found on their websites. Visit The IPS website (opens in new window) Changing your records with other companies, including your bank and building society, should be free. Apply For Your Deed Poll Using a Change of Name Deed Will the Identity & Passport Service and the DVLA accept a Deed Poll prepared by you? Absolutely. All the Change of Name Deeds we provide are prepared in accordance with The Enrolment of Deeds (Change of Name) Regulations 1994 and are fully certified. Apply For Your Deed Poll How do I get my new name legally recognised? Your new name becomes legal as soon as you and a witness have signed your Deed Poll. The Deed, along with your use of your new name, is what makes your new name legally recognised. Apply For Your Deed Poll Can I change my name on my birth certificate? There are very few circumstances for which you can change your name on your birth certificate. We advise that you contact The General Registry Office (opens in new window) for advice if this is what you intend to do and they will be able to tell you if this is possible for your circumstances. Apply For Your Deed Poll Will changing my name affect my ability to get credit? Changing your name does not affect your ability to get credit in any way as credit reference agencies can cross-reference your two names and make a decision based on your suitability overall, not just your suitability while you’ve been using your new name. Apply For Your Deed Poll Who do I need to notify about my change of name and when? You need to notify everyone who you have dealings with that you have changed your name and this should be done as soon as possible. It is a criminal offence to knowingly mislead others; this includes using your old name when you have legally changed it. When you receive a Deed Poll from us, we provide a detailed guide on whom you might need to inform and how you would go about doing so. Apply For Your Deed Poll Safety and Security The safety and security of your information is very important to us, and as such we do everything we can to ensure that any information you provide us with is as safe and secure as possible, from the moment you provide it to us. Is my application safe and secure? Online applications are made using the highest possible safety and security available. We use 256-bit encryption to capture the data you provide us with. We advise that if you apply by post you do so using one of Royal Mail’s Special Delivery services to prevent the small risk of your application being lost in the post. We only take the details that are relevant to preparing your Change of Name Deed. The Official Deed Poll Service will treat any information you provide in the strictest of confidence and will never share your information with third parties. All information we hold is stored securely and can only be accessed by data controllers. For full details about how we handle your data and the security we use, please view our Privacy Policy (opens in new window). Apply For Your Deed Poll Is making payment safe and secure? Online payment is taken using PayPal, who hide your financial details and will never share them, including with us. It’s also fast and easy; you don’t even need a PayPal account to be able to pay using their service and you will not be charged a fee for using this method of payment. If you are sending your payment by post - do not send cash - cheques and Postal Orders should be sent instead, and we advise that you do so using one of Royal Mail’s Special Delivery services to ensure that your payment and application are sent securely. You can also make a cash payment, for no extra charge, via your local Barclay’s Bank, even if you don’t bank with them. Cash payments can be accepted for applications made online, by phone or by post. Apply For Your Deed Poll We send all documents to our clients in protective envelopes to ensure that they are not damaged when they are sent to you. You can choose to have your documents sent using either a Recorded or Special Delivery service if you are concerned about the security of the documents or if you would rather receive the documents sooner. Full details of our Preparation & Delivery Services can be found by clicking here. Apply For Your Deed Poll Further Help & Advice If you have any further questions that you would like us to answer, or if you would just prefer to speak to someone about any questions or concerns you may have, then please contact us and we will be happy to help you in any way that we can. Call us on 07805 012 794 |
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