Please talk me through the process of changing my name like I'm a 5 year old

[HygerTyger]

I find the advice quite confusing. Are there two ways or two 'levels' of changing one's name? I want to change it fully so passport, driving licence etc. Do I need a solicitor? Is there a fee to do it yourself? what documents will need submitting/changing?

Can I start using my name professionally/formally while waiting for the passport to be changed?

Many thanks 😊

Changed mine by deed poll. Looked it up online and sent for the forms.

Yes you can while you wait. I'm still legally my married name but I'm 'known as' my maiden name

I did mine for free, got friends to sign it, got a new driving licence for free and then a first adult passport which came in 8 working days.

It was very easy.

It’s super easy. Look up a deed poll form - free ones are totally fine. Fill that on and get it witnessed. Use that to get a new passport, then use the passport to sort everything else.

It’s time taking admin, but not tricky and you deff don’t need a solicitor.

If your reverting to your maiden name you won’t need a deed poll you can just go back.

I changed mine via www.ukdeedpolloffice.org which takes you through all the steps. There is a minor charge, which goes up depending on how many copies of the original change of name certificate you want (I ordered too many!)

Things to bear in mind:
Do the passport first - it's absolute proof of identity and all other organisations will accept your change of name if you can produce the passport with name change

Remember to change:
Doctor, dentist etc, NHS app
all insurance policies
wills
pensions
all banks
HMRC
Driver's licence
Land registry (title deeds) if applicable
all memberships (National Trust etc)
gym
subscriptions
employment stuff

I'm sure there's lots more which you'll come across as you go along. Hope it goes well.

No need for a solicitor or to pay anyone.

https://freedeedpoll.org.uk/

I used that template, printed it out onto some nice cream thick paper so it looked more official (no need for this) and got work colleagues as witnesses. I did 4 copies so I could send off faster.

I did council tax first because they just changed it without question, then my passport, partly due to it being up for renewal, and partly because it was then another official proof.

With those two things, everything else was easy. Some things could be done over email, some needed posted proof - hence the multiple copies.

I was reverting to my maiden name but divorce hadn't gone through yet. I found this easier than sending off marriage certificate/birth certificate.

Everything official was fine. It's all the various apps set up in my old name that keep catching me out!

Thanks so much everyone, this is really helpful.

@WhatsitWiggle Did you have to pay the £22.50 on the deedpoll website? That's a very clever way to do it!

@sunnywithtsunamis brilliant, so useful thanks

@FormerlyPathologicallyHappy no, I've never changed my name, not even when Married, thankfully, otherwise post divorce would be another task to do! I want to take my mother's maiden name as prefer it to my own surname.

@HygerTyger no I didn't pay anyone anything.

"Deed Poll" in simple terms is the wording refuting the use of your old name and stating the new name you'll be known by. Nothing more complicated than that. No money needs to change hands.

@HygerTyger I just looked at the UK Deed Poll Office website. That is not an official government entity, despite their clever name and coat of arms designed to make people think it's an official route to changing your name. It does state it's a private company. You can use it, of course, but you are literally paying £22.50 for someone to print out some wording for you.

I had no issues using the free template - passport, driving licence, all banks (high street and online), land registry, electoral register - you name it, it was accepted.

I’ve used the free deed poll site too, it was super easy and recognised everywhere. Definitely don’t pay anything!

this is brilliant thanks. so once you have done that and printed out the certificates, do you simply send them off to passport offices, HMRC, driving licence, bank etc?

@HygerTyger yes, printed them out, get them witnessed (not a family member but can be anyone else) and then start contacting people to change your name.

High Street banks i had to go into branch, some things I could do online, others had to be posted. I'm pretty sure for council tax i just called them and they changed it over the phone.

It was a lot of googling!

https://www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll

thanks so much

so using the link in @JumpingPumpkin post (thanks!) it appears there's two types/parts to it - 'making your own deed poll' and 'enrol a deed poll with the courts'. Are these one and the same? or two different types? can anyone clarify?

And the court one costs £50+.

You don't need to enrol your deed poll. Unless you have a specific desire to have it printed in the newspaper.

HMRC say that some official channels won't accept a simple deed poll. I didn't find any, including HMRC, that didn't accept my free bit of paper.

You seem to be mistrusting of the fact you can do this without spending money!
Please read the link i sent, they explain why they set up the website and it was to stop people being scammed.

I’ve just googled so no real extra information but it seems that for most purposes the unenrolled version is fine. The enrolled one just seems to mean it’s been formally recognised and there is a public record which can be referred to. Possibly relevant for some organisations or if you were choosing a controversial name or were likely to end up in an inheritance dispute.

Hahaha, possibly! I cannot believe this/anything could actually be free.

Thanks so much everyone. I have a holiday booked, once back will change everything in one fell swoop. Mumsnet is brilliant, thanks once again for all advice
everyone

In everyday life you can just use the name you want.
I don't think Ringo Starr ever changed his name legally.

Thankyou OP for starting this thread and and for all the advice on it-I couldn’t work out how to do it either!!

Just chiming in to concur with the poster who said you can print out the free deed poll on a bit of posh paper (or cheap paper but it looks nicer on posh paper!), get it countersigned by literally anyone, and it’s a perfectly legal and valid name change. I did it round Xmas (didn’t want to be in my old married name as had been divorced for ages but also didn’t want to go back to my maiden name as it’s rubbish) and have changed name on pretty much everything since, including driving license and passport, all good :)

We used the ukdeedpôlliffice people to change a child’s name, as bizarrely you DO need a company/institution to do it if the passport office is to accept it. Only for a child tho.
‘they gave us a fantastically helpful list of organisations to inform and wording to use.
as an adult you can just do it yourself and the money just buys you some fancy paper!

Hahaha, possibly! I cannot believe this/anything could actually be free.

Same here OP, you are not alone! There's some good information here.

Thanks all! I can't wait to change it now. I will take on my mother's name as surname, it's not a common name now and will be a link to my mum who passed away a few years ago. I do miss her a lot. I feel sad she didn't see my dc growing up. she died when they were quite young. This way her name will live on.