Changing Name By Deed Poll questions (merged)

zeryx

one-non-blonde wrote:

...

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!

Well firstly my daughter is now 18 so can do as she likes with her name, secondly he is no longer alive (long after we divorced so it's no issue for me) so it wouldn't matter anyhow.

mando_2

As far as I understand it. A deed poll changes your name on your birth certificate. A Statutory declaration is a letter/form that says from this date you will be known as xxxx and is easier and cheaper to do.

Hope you get it sorted.

Fran

mando wrote:

As far as I understand it. A deed poll changes your name on your birth certificate. A Statutory declaration is a letter/form that says from this date you will be known as xxxx and is easier and cheaper to do.

Hope you get it sorted.

In England & Wales you cannot change your name on your birth certificate but can change it in every other respect. (I'm 99% sure about this.) Please ring/call in a Citizens Advice Bureau if you haven't already, as they will be able to tell you. You can find your nearest one on Citizens Advice Website.

Bossyboots

This is correct. You cannot change your name on your birth certificate even using a deed poll to change your name. A declaration states that you wish to be known by your new name, it can be made anytime after you start using the name. You can use your new name without making a declaration but most people want proof of it if you want to change account details etc.

keatergreyhound

Hi
My hubby took my name when we got married. So to make that legal he had to change his name via depol. We used depolsonline.co.uk I hope its that anyway. It cost £40 took 2 forms dead simple job done and very legal

kit

I was born and have always lived in England. I changed my name years ago due to a divorce. I drew up a document which stated that from a certain date I gave up all use of my old name and took on use of my new name. I then got 2 people sign as witnesses.

I have used this document to change my passport and driving licence. I have also used it to prove change of name when registering to get married again.

It is my understanding that as long as the statement is legal, by having it witnessed, then you can do it yourself. In England you can not have your birth cert changed; however you can use a document like the above to ensure everything is issued in your new name.

Hope this helps and hope all works out.

a.rickards

i too used UKDps and again the service was fantastic. as a man changing his name it was great. quick an easy and no issues with solicitors.

highly recommended

Aiden

mutley74

I want to change my first name to the name what most people have called me for ages.

=I read around that one can get the deed poll done via the internet. Can anyone recommend any decent companies that do it online?

=When i change my first name do i need to apply for a new passport and thus be charged the passport fee for it?

=Can i keep my old signature (its a unique scribble) even though its just a small scribble but it does not look like what my new first name is.

=do i need to tell the CSA? i hate to communicate with them and rather just leave current standing order etc as is rather than make then come out of woodwork and haunt me again.

any other advice most welcome...
thanks

kabie

If you're scottish though it's a lot easier: you can call yourself what you like as long as you promise not to use your old name. I did this just by writing a letter to the passport office and it was sorted easily, then once the passport was sorted that took care of everything else, (that was for my son).
If you tell your bank (and I'm guessing you will) then I would have thought you'd have to inform the CSA because they would need to know to make payments.

Bossyboots

Actually, in England and Wales you simply call yourself what you like as well, as long as you are not intending to deceive anyone by doing so. It is only the current climate of money laundering and ID fraud that has led to just about every organisation wanting documented proof of the change. A statutory declaration is simply a document stating that you have changed your name, it is not a change of name deed. The template for it should be easily found by googling the internet.

As for getting it witnessed, it should only cost £5 from a solicitor. That is the prescribed fee for witnesing a document. Our local courts no longer do it although you might get lucky and find a solicitor at one that just happens to have his company stamp with him. Most places will now not accept a deed without it being stamped, rather than just signed and the company details written on.

The declaration you make states that you will in the future be known by your new name and renouncing the old one. Therefore, you have to change everything over to your new name or you will have executed a false document.

Any originals you have witnessed carry the same fee by the way so if you want 20 copies the witness is entitled to charge you £100. You can ask for "certified" copies which is a photocopy endorsed by the firm as a true copy. The firm can set its own fee for that, probably around £1 a copy, possibly more.