You can change your name at any point in your adult life, and many people choose to do so. A deed poll is a piece of documentary evidence that your name has changed. We have all heard of changing our name with a deed poll, but can you legally do so without it? Here we look at different ways of changing your name to ensure your name change is legal.
Is a Deed Poll Needed to Change Your Name?
An official name change must be formally documented in some way. There are situations in which you can change your name without using a deed poll, with marriage being the primary example. If you wed and wish to take your spouse’s name, you can do so using your marriage certificate. You can also, in specific situations, change a name on a birth certificate or re-register a birth with the modified name. The birth certificate is used as documentary proof of the name change in these cases.
The law allows you to:
- Amend the first name of a child who is under a year old, but only once.
- Amend a child’s surname when registering the parents’ marriage or the father’s details.
- Correct an error on the original birth certificate.
Deed Poll Alternatives
Statutory Declaration
This is a written statement that is signed and witnessed by one of the following:
- Solicitor
- Notary public
- Barrister
- Licensed Conveyancer
- Chartered Legal Executive
- Commissioner for Oaths
- Magistrates
- Majors, Lieutenant Commanders, or Squadron Leaders of the armed forces
Affidavit
This is similar to the statutory declaration as it is also a written statement and an oath. It is an offence to swear an affidavit falsely.
Royal Licence
You must apply to the Royal College of Arms to change your name this way. This way of changing a name is not too common but can be used for:
- Inheritance purposes when a will clause needs someone to assume a testator’s name.
- A husband to adopt the name of his wife for a marriage settlement.
- A name change also needs a change to a coat of arms.
This method of changing a name can only be used when changing a surname, and applications are not guaranteed to be authorised.
Final Thoughts
While these are all legal ways of changing a name, you can understand why many people opt for a deed poll’s swift, cost-effective convenience.
For help changing your name via our Deed Poll service, contact DeedPoll.com on 020 8017 2216.
