Changing Name By Deed Poll questions (merged)

zeryx

I can't find anywhere else on the board that seems to be appropriate to ask this question.

I live in Scotland so consulting an English solicitor isn't an option.

In England you need a Deed Poll to legally change your name - up here in Scotland it's much easier - however, if you were born in England you have to go by the English law.

I have found this website
http://www.ukdps.co.uk/

Is it a legal website allowing an easy way to get a Deed Poll to change my name without meaning I have to go down to England to consult an English solicitor?

or

Is this a site that isn't legal?

Fran

Well they have a "registered address" under contact no.s and other details - perhaps you could check them out?

sra

Okay get ready to follow the trail...

(takes a deep breath )

I remembered I'd posted on a couple of threads about name changing before.

I found this thread where I posted a link at the bottom to this thread (in the old forum archive) where I posted a link to a BBC article where they mention a company called deedpollsonline which looks like the old name for the site you posted (clicking any of the links on the deedpollsonline page takes you throught to ukdps)

maybe this company being mentioned (sort of) on the BBC website would ease your mind about how legit it is? If not the other threads I mention above have other suggestions on changing names

zeryx

Thanks for that sra555.

Maybe explaining the issue would help.

We live in Scotland and my daughter was born in England. When she was 7 it was decided that due to a lot of trouble with my ex (her natural father) that she was going to be 'known by repute' as my new partner's surname. In Scotland you are able to change your name by repute with no problems just by telling everyone. This was accepted by everyone, Inland Revenue issued everything to her in her new surname, her full UK driving licence is in her reputed name - my son has a passport in the same name (as he also changed his by repute) - there has never been a problem.

However, my daughter has just started training as a nurse. They are refusing to register her as anything but the name on her birth certificate. They told her that she had to either change the name on her birth certificate (which can be done if you were born in Scotland, which she wasn't) or to get an affidavit. I've had a lot of problems in the past with this Scottish / English law hole and it appears that just because you have a Scottish affidavit it may not be accepted in England - I was told the only way you can legally change your name in England (apart from marriage or divorce) is to change it by deed poll.

Glad

I'm not sure where this thread should be either really, but threads in the Arms do tend to disappear or go off track [which is why we have the arms]

so I'll move it to the family board for now

one-non-blonde

I don't have any advice for you as such, but I was astonished at how easy it was (in Scotland) to change my children's surnames from what appears on their birth certificates. When I applied for their passports I just filled in the forms with what I wanted them to be known as. I got a call a few days later from the passport office to say I'd made a mistake as the birth certificates said differently and did I have deed poll certificates. I just said something like 'in Scotland you can call yourself anything you like' and he just said, 'oh, ok'. I hope he actually checked this out for himself though! :eek:

My sister (Scottish, but lives in England) has one Scottish child and one English and has just changed their names back to her maiden name. I think she just did them both by deed poll but I'll ask. It happened very quickly though. I presume if you were married you would need the father's consent but that wasn't a problem in her case.

Re changing birth certificates... I'd be interested in doing this but as I wasn't married to their father would I then have to remove his name completely from the certificates if I took his surname away from the children? He's not happy about me changing their names (over 5 years later his family still refuse to call them by my surname) and has threatened to blackmail the children when they're older (by cutting them out of his will) to change it back!

Mrs_Thrift

I used https://www.ukdps.co.uk to change my name when I got married last year as I have kept my maiden name as a second middle name. It was very simple, very quick, and very cheap compared to a colleague who changed his name using a solicitor. I haven't actually shown anyone official my deed poll yet, but I did get my new passport just by telling the passport people I'd applied for the deed poll! I've spoken to several other people (online) who have also used ukdps, for themselves and their children, and had no problems at all.

Bossyboots

I haven't gone back on the old threads but I would point out that you DO NOT change your name by Deed Poll in England. You may call yourself any name you like providing there is no intention to deceived. However, many of the statutory bodies demand proof of the name change before changing documents (banks, passport to name but two.) All you need to do is prepare or have prepared for you a Statutory Declaration declaring you have changed the name. The declaration is not a change of name document, it is simply a form of evidence that you have changed your name. You do however have to be over 18 to do this although the passport office are under the mis guided view that you can do it at 16. The have issued my friend's son with a passport on this basis.

A parent can make a declaration for a minor provided that everyone with parental responsibility agrees and there are no court orders in place preventing a change of name.


I've just had a look at the link in the first post. I personally believe it to be misleading as it says you can legally change your name by Deed Poll. As put above, you can legally change your name without any document. There are some websites with the rules on which can be found by using search engines and "change of Name" or something similar.

Mrs_Thrift

well.....I'm confused!

I don't know what the difference is between a deed poll or statutory declaration, but I used https://www.ukdps.co.uk as a simple and cheap way of getting official people to accept my changed name, which I knew had worked for other people before.

As I say, a colleague used what I think he called a stautory declaration to change his name, but he spent around £100 for the same result as I've had (for about £40 I think). I got my new passport with no problem, so I'm not worried about anything else....

....and I know who I am, so that's the main thing!

Bossyboots, are you saying that deed polls aren't official documents, or that statutory declarations are better? Sorry I can't follow it - let's blame being at work for turning my brain to mush!

System

All you need to do is prepare or have prepared for you a Statutory Declaration declaring you have changed the name. The declaration is not a change of name document, it is simply a form of evidence that you have changed your name. You do however have to be over 18 to do this although the passport office are under the mis guided view that you can do it at 16. The have issued my friend's son with a passport on this basis.

A parent can make a declaration for a minor provided that everyone with parental responsibility agrees and there are no court orders in place preventing a change of name.

This is what I did when i married MrJudi. My first two children had the surname of my first husband, and i felt awkward when MrJudi and i had our first child together. It was compounded by the fact my first husband never showed any interest in keeping in contact with them. So i changed their surnames to my new married name. I just went to the CAB to ask about it, and they sorted it right there and then.

Bossyboots

Deed polls are official for proving you have changed your name but they are not a document that actually changes your name. You can do that without any documentation at all. It is only because official sources want evidence of it that you need any form of document.

I'm a bit gobsmacked that someone has paid £100 for a stat dec. They are simple to prepare and only take a few minutes from a template. They do need to be sworn before a solicitor/court official but that is only £5. In our area you pay between £25 - £55 but you can actually do it yourself as long as you get it properly witnessed.