Change of name by Deed
We are pleased to announce this new service where people can change their name.

It is a simple process and you can drop in to the Register Office and do it straight away as long as you have the right documents with you.

• How much will it cost?
• What does a change of name by deed do?
• What do I need to bring?
• What can I change my name to?
• Who can apply to change their name?
• Does it need to go to the Royal Courts of Justice to make it legal?
• Changing a child's name

How much will it cost?
The fee for the change of name is:

£30 for an adult with a further £10 for extra copies
£35 for a child (Due to extra administrative costs)
£100 for a family

What does a change of name by deed do?
A change of name by deed is an official document needed to change your name legally.  It is recognised by all official government departments, companies and organisations and will therefore allow you to change your name on your passport, bank accounts and other official documents. 

There are however documents that cannot be changed and these are birth certificates, marriage certificates and decree absolutes. An applicant may change forename, middle name or surname by deed.

Changing your name by deed means that the applicant will completely revoke the use of the former name and will at all times thereafter use only the new name as shown on the deed.

The deed is a legal document signed by the applicant and witnessed by two others that commits the applicant to use the new name in all future proceedings. When you come to Wandsworth Register Office you only need to bring one witness, the officer handling the change of name will be the other witness.

What do I need to bring?
For an adult:-

• Your Birth certificate.
• Your Passport
• A Marriage certificate, (if applicable)
• Divorce papers or death certificate, (if applicable)
• A witness to the change of name.

For a child:-

• Your child's birth certificate.
• Assent from the child's father or mother to the change of name if they are not attending together. (if applicable)

What can I change my name to?
You can change all or part of your name to whatever you wish.

You may not obtain a deed for:-

1. fraudulent purposes.
2. to give the applicant a title, i.e. Lord, Lady, Duke, Duchess His/Her Royal Highness, Prince/Princess, Sir, Dame, Earl, Marques, Viscount or Baron/Baroness
3. to have a name that can be deemed rude or offensive, either sexual innuendo or mocking particular religious groups. This would be at the registrar's discretion.

Who can apply to change their name?
Any British citizen aged 18 years and over, living anywhere in the world, or by anyone of any nationality, living in the United Kingdom (parents can apply on behalf of their children if they fulfil the criteria as laid out above). It should be noted that a change of name by deed is only recognised by United Kingdom government departments, companies and organisations. If the applicant is a foreign national living in the UK, they should check with their country's high commission or embassy in London to see if a change of name by deed will be accepted to get a passport changed to show the new name. Countries that have a legal system based on the British legal system will usually accept a change of name by deed issued by us.

Important note
A change of name by deed does not replace a birth certificate. For all official purposes the deed poll would need to accompany a birth certificate, i.e. for obtaining a passport in the new name.

Does it need to go to the Royal Courts of Justice to make it legal?
You do not need to lodge the change of name by deed with the Royal Courts of Justice to receive documents in your new name. For example, if you sent an application for a passport with your birth certificate and your change of name deed you will receive a passport in the name that is on your deed and not your birth certificate.

If you want you lodge your change of name deed with the Royal Courts of Justice this is at your discretion but it does have an extra fee of £68. You would need to send a copy of the deed to them, the officer you see will provide you with the details. This would then change your change of name by deed to a deed Poll.

Changing a child's name
Changing a child's name is a very simple process, providing those with parental responsibility all consent to the name change.

Parental Responsibility: Parental responsibility is the legal term used for those that have legal responsibility over a child under the age of 18.  The consent of that person/s would therefore need to be obtained before a name change could take place.

Under the Children Act 1989, parental responsibility is automatically given to the mother of a child regardless of whether or not she is married.  A married father also automatically acquires parental responsibility for his child. 

Unmarried fathers are now in a better legal position with regards to parental responsibility. With effect from 1st December 2003, under S.111 of the new adoption and Children Act 2002, a father has full parental responsibilities and rights if his name appears on the birth certificate, giving him the same legal rights as a married father would have.  This is applicable to residents of the England and Wales. Different procedures currently apply in Scotland. For applications where the fathers details are absent from the original birth entry the consent of the father is not required.

If the applicant is a resident of Northern Ireland, a birth registered from 15th April 2002 will automatically give the father parental responsibility if his name appears on the birth certificate.

A father with parental responsibility would be required to give his consent before his child's name can be changed.  The father's consent would still be required even if he is now divorced or separated from the child's mother or if he has remarried again.  The mothers consent is needed in all circumstances unless she is deceased. If both parents have parental responsibility they both need to give consent to the name change.

Children under 16:  If the child is under the age of 16, as long as all those with parental responsibility give their consent, the child's name change may then take place.

Children aged between 16-17:  When changing the name of a child who is aged between 16 and 17, the consent of the child is also required in addition to those with parental responsibility.  If a child of 16 or 17 wishes to change their name but cannot obtain the consent of those with parental responsibility, they would have to wait until they are 18 when they would be classed as an adult and could execute their own deed Poll.

Absent fathers/Refused consent: Many people wish to change their children's names without the consent of the father as they are unable to contact him or his whereabouts is now unknown.  Any name change without the father's consent does of course carry some risks, but is still possible.  The mother of the child would have to write a consent letter detailing what steps she has taken to contact the absent father.  This would need to include evidence of contact with his last known address/family relatives etc. The mother however, must be aware that the father could contest this name change through the courts in the future.

If one parent refuses to give their consent even though they have little or nothing to do with the child, obtaining a court order would be the only guaranteed way to make sure that you could change the name of your child without the consent needed.