Name change by Deedpoll

[Thisbeourworld]

Just wondering if anyone has done it, particularly interested if you have done it the same time as going NC from family? Did it stop the stalking, constantly getting you back in "the fold" etc.? Was it a pain with your professional life?

The main thing is that you don't need a deed poll, just use your new name. There is no central record of names and you can call yourself anything you like as long as it is not in the furtherance of fraud. A deed poll is just a contract with yourself to do something, usually use a new name. If any asks for one, just download a template from the web.

@Brahumbug oh really, that's very interesting - what about passports though? I would need the new name in my passport as I travel for work a lot (or I will be once this pandemic is over)

A solicitor will do a change of name deed for very limited costs and provide you with a number of certified copies you can use for the passport office and banks etc and which are accepted without quibble.

DHs firm he used to work for will do it for about £60.00 (but we are very rural and in an economically depressed area).

Only thing is, if you are in the middle of divorcing it is best to wait until after the decree absolute if you do not want your ex to know the new name.

I did it about 4 years ago. I did it on line and just needed a person to witness my signature.

I changed mine by statutory declaration last year. Printed the statement off the internet and got a local solicitor to witness for £5.

As I said before, don't pay someone to do something that you can do yourself for free. There are plenty of templates online for you to fill in and you can print multiple copies if you wish. Good luck😁

While you dont/shouldn’t need one, I found having a deed poll (and multiple certified copies) very useful when it came to changing things like my passports etc. having a bit of official looking paper really speeded things up.

For me it was a small investment - under £30 I think - and well worth it as i was changing my business name as well as all the personal stuff. (From Xmarriedname to Maidenname in my case).

Yes I’ve done it. I got out of a horrible marriage. He had a distinct and unusual surname. We also worked in the same industry and I wanted the connection with his surname gone long before the long, drawn out divorce finished.

So first solicitors meeting she did it for me we did a deed - cost not much and I didn’t have a printer so she did many copies for me to circulate (which was required).

Felt very liberating to be honest.

@RealHousewifesHouse

A solicitor will do a change of name deed for very limited costs and provide you with a number of certified copies you can use for the passport office and banks etc and which are accepted without quibble.

DHs firm he used to work for will do it for about £60.00 (but we are very rural and in an economically depressed area).

Only thing is, if you are in the middle of divorcing it is best to wait until after the decree absolute if you do not want your ex to know the new name.

you do not need to pay

Of course you don’t need to pay, but the amount was fairly small £45 or so and it made things much easier, some places preferred an official document. I couldn’t be bothered to argue.

Having said that in your case op it may be worth researching whether or not using a deed poll makes you more traceable by people who you would rather remain hidden from, so in your case it’s not so much about the cost as staying under the wire.

Anyway, I also liked the ceremony of the deed poll, £45 well spent for me!

yes of course you do not need to pay. But I think what the pp was pointing out is that some places such as banks prefer certified documents.

Might be worth asking your bank and the passport office OP what they require.

you do not need to pay
I might be being an idiot here but if you don’t pay and literally just print a piece of paper yourself then how does the gov etc know your new name?

I’m thinking of years from now if someone looked up their family tree they would be able to trace everyone by my birth certificate, my marriage certificate, census information and my deed poll name change. If I just changed my name by printing a template myself would they still be able to access all that info?

DH and I did it 25 years ago when I was pregnant with dc1. Decided we wanted a shared family name so chose one and we both changed our names to it. We did it via a solicitor as no Internet etc back then.

I found it useful at first to have official certified proof, in order to get a new passport etc. But now all my documents are in my "new" name I haven't had to show the original certificate for years.

Which country do you live in?

@SatsumasOrClementines

you do not need to pay I might be being an idiot here but if you don’t pay and literally just print a piece of paper yourself then how does the gov etc know your new name?

I’m thinking of years from now if someone looked up their family tree they would be able to trace everyone by my birth certificate, my marriage certificate, census information and my deed poll name change. If I just changed my name by printing a template myself would they still be able to access all that info?

Paying makes no difference. A deed poll is a deed poll whether a solicitor charges you to do it, you pay a random company online or do it for free yourself. The template is just so you know the wording.

People know of the change because you notify them, using the deed poll as evidence of name change

Thanks. I also found this info that I’ll upload as photos in case it helps anyone else.