Changing Name By Deed Poll

2007-04-17 10:41:55

( Legal )



A change of name is a legal act that allows you to adopt a name other than your birth or adoptive name, provided that it is not for the purpose of fraud or deception. You may change your name any number of times and at any time.

You do not actually have to document your change of name. However, an evidence of your name change may be required in certain institutions, such as banks. To prove that your name has been changed, you have to have a deed poll, or a Deed of Change in Name. Technically, a deed poll is a legal contract wherein only one party is involved. Changing name by deed poll is usually, but not necessarily, arranged by a solicitor who is capable of enrolling your name change in court; however, you usually do not need to have it enrolled.

In changing name by deed poll, you make three declarations, namely that you abandon your old name, that you will use only the new one, and that everybody else is required to use your new name. The deed is completed when it is signed, dated and witnessed by a credible party. The original document is then given to you.

If you are a minor, your consent is not required for your name to be changed. Changing name by deed poll can be done by your parent, as long as all the other people with parental responsibility for you agree to it. However, if you oppose a name change, you may apply for a court order against it.

You do not need a deed poll when changing your surname after marriage or returning to your previous surname after a divorce.

Typically, documents prior to your name change retain your old name; however, in certain places, a change of name can be recorded in the birth register, as long as you fulfill the requirements needed.

Other ways of providing an evidence of a change of name include a letter from a responsible person, a public announcement, a statutory declaration, or, in cases of nobility, a royal license.


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