You can apply for your deed poll now, so you’ve got it ready to sign on your 16th birthday (or any time afterwards). Bear in mind that you won’t be able to use your new name until that time.
Irish nationals
As an Irish national resident in the U.K., you can change your U.K. documents and records (e.g. driving licence, NHS records, etc.) to be in your new name, using your deed poll as proof of your change of name.
As a U.K. resident, you should be using a U.K. deed poll (not an Irish deed poll).
To change your Irish passport / identity card, you’ll need to show that you’ve been using your new name (in the U.K.) for two years, by showing an updated driving licence, pay slips, or bank statements etc. (in your new name). These need to date back at least two years, so you’ll have to wait two years before you can do this. You won’t normally need to show your deed poll though.
EEA / Swiss nationals
As an EEA / Swiss national resident in the U.K., you can change your U.K. documents and records (e.g. driving licence, NHS records, etc.) to be in your new name, using your deed poll as proof of your change of name.
However, to change your passport / EEA identity card, you’ll need to follow the procedures in your country of origin, who may not accept a U.K. deed poll. Until you do this —
- You’ll only be able to travel in and out of the U.K. in your old name — because you’ll still need to have a valid passport / EEA identity card when going through border control.
- You may find it more difficult updating records in the U.K. on the basis that you’re using your new name “for all purposes” — especially if you continue to hold and use your passport / EEA identity card in your old name.
- You won’t always be able to rely on your passport / EEA identity card as proof of your identity (seeing as it’ll still show your old name), although you’ll often be able to use it together with your deed poll.
- If you want to apply for a Residence Card from the Home Office, it’ll be issued in the same name as on your passport / EEA identity card. If you don’t hold a passport or identity card, the Home Office won’t issue you a Residence Card. (It’s not a legal requirement to hold a Residence Card though, but you may need to apply for one for non-EEA family members or other dependants.)
- If you apply for registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, your registration / naturalisation certificate will be issued in the same name as on your passport / EEA identity card.
It isn’t a legal requirement in the U.K. to hold a form of ID (except during the first 3 months you’re in the U.K.). However, you won’t be able to travel outside the U.K. without a valid passport / EEA identity card.
If you do want to go ahead with a deed poll, you may consider applying for a (provisional) U.K. driving licence in your new name — even if you don’t drive — to generally use as ID within the U.K.
Foreign nationals
As a foreign national resident in the U.K., you can change your U.K. documents and records (e.g. driving licence, NHS records, etc.) to be in your new name, using your deed poll as proof of your change of name.
To update your passport / EEA identity card (if you haven’t already done so), you’ll need to follow the procedures of your country of origin.
If you’ve got a Residence Permit (or a ‘Biometric Residence Permit’ or ‘BRP’) — which normally has written on it just “Residence Permit” — you’ll need to keep it up-to-date (in your correct name). However, you’ll need to update your passport / EEA identity card first.
You should update your BRP (to be in your new name) within 3 months of changing your name, or else you may be fined up to £ 1,000 or have your stay shortened.
If you’ve got a “Residence Card” (or a “Permanent Residence Card”, “Derivative Residence Card”, or “Accession Residence Card”), then there isn’t a legal requirement to keep it up-to-date, or a time limit within which you have to do so. However, it’s still recommended to keep it in the same name as your passport
(Irish nationals don’t need to have a BRP, and nor do EEA / Swiss nationals who’re resident in the U.K. on the basis of EC Treaty rights.)
If you’re not an Irish / EEA / Swiss national, and you haven’t got a BRP already, you’ll get one when you apply for —
- an extension / replacement of a U.K. visa
- “limited leave to remain” in the U.K. which adds up to 6 months’ leave in total
- “indefinite leave to remain” in the U.K. (leave to “settle” in the U.K.)
- a Convention Travel Document
- a Stateless Person’s Travel Document
- a Certificate of Travel
Refugees, stateless people, and people with humanitarian protection
As a refugee, stateless person, or someone with humanitarian protection in the U.K., you can change your U.K. documents and records (e.g. driving licence, NHS records, etc.) to be in your new name, using your deed poll as proof of your change of name.
You can also update your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) — and you should do so within 3 months of changing your name, or else you may be fined up to £ 1,000 or have your stay shortened.
Asylum seekers
As someone seeking asylum in the U.K., you can change your U.K. documents and records (e.g. driving licence, NHS records, etc.) to be in your new name, using your deed poll as proof of your change of name.
If you’re asylum application is successful — and you’re granted permission to stay as a refugee, or you’re granted humanitarian protection — you’ll get a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), which can be issued in your new name (as on your deed poll).
If you’re granted permission to stay for other reasons — because you don’t qualify as a refugee or for humanitarian protection — then you’ll get a BRP in the same name as on your passport / national identity card. This would mean that your new name wouldn’t be recognised — and you’d have to change your name on your other U.K. records back, to match your BRP. You can only use a new (different) name on your BRP if —
- you’d be at risk of harm unless your name is changed, e.g. due to you being a victim of crime (such as domestic violence) or a vulnerable witness
- you’re a transgender person whose country of origin doesn’t recognise changes to your name and / or gender
- there are other exceptional circumstances that would seriously and adversely affect your life in the U.K. unless your name is changed
Foreign nationals applying for registration / naturalisation
If you're applying for registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, you can change your U.K. documents and records (e.g. driving licence, NHS records, etc.) to be in your new name, using a deed poll as proof of your change of name, but you might not be able to update some records — including your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) — until you've become a British citizen.
Your registration / naturalisation certificate will normally be issued in the same name as on your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), passport, national identity card, or travel document.
You can only use a new (different) name on your registration / naturalisation certificate if —
- you’re a recognised refugee or stateless person
- you’ve been granted humanitarian protection
- you’d be at risk of harm unless your name is changed, e.g. due to you being a victim of crime (such as domestic violence) or a vulnerable witness
- you’re a transgender person whose country of origin doesn’t recognise changes to your name and / or gender, and you already hold a BRP in your acquired name and gender
- there are other exceptional circumstances that would seriously and adversely affect your life in the U.K. unless your name is changed
If none of these conditions applies to you, we’d recommend that you change your name (and sign your deed poll) after you’ve become a British citizen. You can pre-order your deed poll now, if you wish, but you should wait to sign the document until when you’re a British citizen. (The deed poll will only take effect once it’s been signed.)
Also bear in mind, that becoming a British citizen doesn’t (usually) take away the citizenship of your country of origin automatically — in which case you’ll become a dual national (unless you’re from a country which forbids dual nationality, such as Austria, China, India, Japan, or Norway).
If you’re a dual national (i.e. British and another nationality), HM Passport Office will only issue a British passport in your new name if —
- you also update your passport / national identity card / travel document from your other country of nationality (to be in your new name); or
- you surrender all such documents, or have them “cancelled” by their issuing authority; or
- you seek to give up (“renounce”) your other nationality
Foreign nationals who cannot update their passport / EEA identity card to be in their new name
As a foreign national resident in the U.K., you can change your U.K. documents and records (e.g. driving licence, NHS records, etc.) to be in your new name — using your deed poll as proof of your change of name — so long as you’re also able to update your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) (if you’re required to hold one) to be in your new name.
If you’ve got a BRP, it needs to be kept up-to-date (in your correct name).
You might not have a BRP yet, but you’ll get one when you apply for —
- an extension / replacement of a U.K. visa
- “limited leave to remain” in the U.K. which adds up to 6 months’ leave in total
- “indefinite leave to remain” in the U.K. (leave to “settle” in the U.K.)
- a Convention Travel Document
- a Stateless Person’s Travel Document
- a Certificate of Travel
(This doesn’t apply to Irish nationals or EEA / Swiss nationals resident in the U.K. on the basis of EC Treaty rights — who can stay in the U.K. without a visa or “leave to remain”.)
The Home Office will normally issue your BRP in the same name as on your passport / EEA identity card. If you want to change your BRP to be in your new name, the Home Office will expect you to update your passport / EEA identity card to be in your new name first.
You can only use a different name on your BRP — from what’s on your passport / EEA identity card — if —
- you’re a recognised refugee or stateless person
- you’ve been granted humanitarian protection
- you’d be at risk of harm unless your name is changed, e.g. due to you being a victim of crime (such as domestic violence) or a vulnerable witness
- you’re a transgender person whose country of origin doesn’t recognise changes to your name and / or gender
- there are other exceptional circumstances that would seriously and adversely affect your life in the U.K. unless your name is changed
If one of these conditions applies to you, you can change your name (by deed poll) and update your BRP. You should update your BRP within 3 months of changing your name, or else you may be fined up to £ 1,000 or have your stay shortened.
Otherwise, you cannot apply for a deed poll to change your name, because you won’t be able to update your BRP — and you’ll risk being fined up to £ 1,000 or having your stay shortened.
Foreign nationals resident outside the U.K.
As a foreign national resident outside the U.K., you should normally use the procedures of the country which you’re a national of, or the country where you’re resident. A deed poll is intended for use in the U.K., and may not be acceptable as proof of your change of name.
If you have a specific need for a U.K. deed poll, then we’re happy to prepare one for you. However, we cannot guarantee that it’ll be accepted as proof of your change of name.