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 apply for an Irish passport in your new name, 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.
EU / Icelandic / Liechtenstein / Norwegian / Swiss nationals
As an EU / Icelandic / Liechtenstein / Norwegian / Swiss national resident in the U.K., you can update 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 / national ID card, you’ll need to use the process in your country of origin, who may accept your deed poll, but who will probably have their own process which you’ll need to follow. Until you do this —
- You’ll need to travel in and out of the U.K. in your old name (as shown on your passport / national ID card).
- Your residence documentation in the U.K. will be in your old name (although there are some exceptions to this rule).
- You may find it more difficult updating records in the U.K. to be in your new name.
- It may be more difficult using your passport / national ID 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 apply to become a British citizen, your naturalisation certificate will be issued in the same name as on your passport / national ID card. However, you’ll still be able to apply for a British passport in your new name.
It isn’t a legal requirement in the U.K. to hold a form of ID. However, you won’t be able to travel in or out of the U.K. without a valid passport or national ID 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 to use as ID within the U.K. — even if you don’t drive.
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 / national ID card (if you haven’t already done so), you’ll need to follow the process in your country of origin.
If you’ve got a residence permit (a ‘Biometric Residence Permit’ or ‘BRP’) — you’ll need to keep it up-to-date (in your correct name). However, you’ll need to update your passport / national ID 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 EU / Icelandic / Liechtenstein / Norwegian / Swiss nationals with settled or pre-settled status.)
If you’re not an Irish / EU / Icelandic / Liechtenstein / Norwegian / 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 and stateless people
As a refugee or stateless person 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 don’t have to update your passport from your country of origin.
You must update your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) within 3 months of signing your deed poll, or else you may be fined up to £ 1,000 or have your stay shortened.
If you’ve got a Travel Document, you can apply for a new one after you’ve updated your BRP.
People with humanitarian protection
As a humanitarian protected person 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 don’t have to update your passport from your country of origin, so long as it’s officially accepted that you can’t approach the authorities in that country. (If you’ve got a Certificate of Travel, then this will be the case.)
You must update your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) within 3 months of signing your deed poll (or updating your passport, if possible to do so). Otherwise you may be fined up to £ 1,000 or have your stay shortened.
If you’ve got a Certificate of Travel, you can apply for a new one after you’ve updated your BRP.
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 — then you’ll get a BRP in the same name as on your passport. If you don’t update your passport (and BRP) to be in your new name, you’ll be ‘also known as’ the new name — it won’t be a legal change of name ‘for all purposes’.
You can only use a new (different) name on your BRP if —
- you’re a recognised refugee or stateless person
- you’ve been granted humanitarian protection and it’s officially accepted that you cannot approach the authorities in your country of origin
- you’re transgender and your country of origin doesn’t recognise changes to your name and/or gender
- you’d be at risk of harm unless your name is changed, e.g. owing to you being a victim of crime (such as domestic violence) or a vulnerable witness
- 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 to become a British citizen
If you're applying to become 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 naturalisation / registration certificate will normally be issued in the same name as on your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), passport, and/or national ID card.
You can only use a new (different) name on your naturalisation / registration certificate if —
- you’re a recognised refugee or stateless person
- you’ve been granted humanitarian protection and it’s officially accepted that you cannot approach the authorities in your country of origin
- you’re transgender and your country of origin doesn’t recognise changes to your name and/or gender
- you’d be at risk of harm unless your name is changed, e.g. owing to you being a victim of crime (such as domestic violence) or a vulnerable witness
- 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 normally 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 it’s better to sign the document once you’re a British citizen. (The deed poll will only take effect once it’s been signed.)
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 from your other country of nationality (to be in your new name)
- your other country of nationality won’t allow the change of name (you’ll need a letter or other official evidence showing this)
- you’ve changed your name as part of a change of gender, and your other country of nationality won’t allow the change of gender
- you’d need to go to your other country of nationality to change your name, and due to exceptional circumstances in that country, you’d be put at a high level of risk
- you seek to give up (“renounce”) your other nationality
Foreign nationals who cannot update their passport 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 — but you won’t normally be 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 (who don’t need a visa), or EU / Icelandic / Liechtenstein / Norwegian / Swiss nationals with settled or pre-settled status in the U.K.)
The Home Office will normally issue your BRP in the same name as on your passport. If you want to change your BRP to be in your new name, the Home Office will expect you to update your passport to be in your new name first.
You can only use a different name on your BRP — from what’s on your passport — if —
- you’re a recognised refugee or stateless person
- you’ve been granted humanitarian protection and it’s officially accepted that you cannot approach the authorities in your country of origin
- you’re transgender and your country of origin doesn’t recognise changes to your name and/or gender
- you’d be at risk of harm unless your name is changed, e.g. owing to you being a victim of crime (such as domestic violence) or a vulnerable witness
- 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 — although you may apply for a deed poll — if you don’t update your passport (and BRP) to be in your new name, you’ll be ‘also known as’ the new name — it won’t be a legal change of name ‘for all purposes’.
You should also bear in mind that —
- You’ll need to travel in and out of the U.K. in your old name (as shown on your passport).
- You may find it more difficult updating records in the U.K. to be in your new name.
- It may be more difficult using your passport 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 apply to become a British citizen, your naturalisation certificate will be issued in the same name as on your passport. However, you’ll still be able to apply for a British passport in your new name.
Foreign nationals resident outside the U.K.
As a foreign national resident outside the U.K., you should normally use the process in your country of nationality, or the country where you’re resident. A deed poll is meant 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.