How do I change my name, and who do I have to tell?

Two things make this feel harder than it is. First, the market is full of companies charging for a document you can write yourself — the law does not require any particular format or provider. Second, the order matters: many organisations will not accept a deed poll directly but will accept an updated passport, so getting the passport done first unlocks everything else.

Step by step

1. Check whether you need a deed poll at all.Changing a surname on marriage, civil partnership or divorce is usually done with the marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate or decree absolute. A deed poll is for changes outside those events, including a first name change.
2. Make the deed poll.A statement that you abandon the former name, adopt the new one, and will use it at all times, signed by you in both names and witnessed. Requirements for witnesses vary by organisation, so use two independent adults who are not family members and record their names, addresses and occupations.
3. Decide whether to enrol it.Enrolment at the Royal Courts of Justice puts the change on public record and is published in the London Gazette. It is optional, carries a fee and takes some weeks. An unenrolled deed poll is equally valid and is what most people use; a few organisations and some foreign authorities prefer an enrolled one.
4. Handle a child's name change carefully.Everyone with parental responsibility must consent, and a child of twelve or over is normally expected to consent too. Without full agreement, a court order is needed. Agencies cannot bypass this.
5. Change the passport first.HM Passport Office accepts the deed poll and issues a passport in the new name. That passport then serves as identification everywhere else, which removes most of the friction.
6. Then the driving licence, then the banks.DVLA next, then banks and building societies — most now accept an in-branch or app-based process with the deed poll or new passport. Banks are the gateway to credit files, so doing them early keeps records aligned.
7. Work through the full list systematically.HMRC, DWP, the electoral register, your employer and payroll, pension providers, GP and dentist, insurers on every policy, mortgage or landlord, utilities, council tax, TV licence, professional bodies, the Land Registry for any property, and every online account. Keep a checklist and tick things off — the ones missed are always the annual ones.
8. Keep copies and originals safe.Several organisations want to see the original deed poll. Make certified copies rather than posting the original, and keep it permanently with your birth certificate — you may need it decades later.
9. Note what does not change.Your birth certificate is a record of an event and is not reissued. Your National Insurance number and NHS number stay the same, and both should be updated to show the new name against them.

Common mistakes

• Paying an agency for the document itself — A deed poll is a document you can make yourself. Paid services provide convenience and printing, not legal validity.
• Updating small accounts before the passport — Most organisations accept an updated passport far more readily than a deed poll. Doing it in the wrong order means arguing the same point twenty times.

Questions people ask