Many people are familiar with the desire to change their first or last name. It sounds ugly, doesn’t suit your character, reminds you of a past stage in life – there are many reasons. This impulse is not always met with understanding among loved ones, sometimes it is difficult to outlive acquaintances, but the most important thing is to figure out how to make changes at the official level, in the ecosystem of services relevant to modern people with their databases. Starting from receiving a new passport, ending with hotel reservations and other small everyday entries. In the UK, the specificity of the process is as follows: the turning point, when a person officially introduces himself with a new name, is the signing of a special paper – Official Deed Poll.
Some details
The document can be called a declaration. This is a unilateral obligation that has legal force, so it is drawn up in the prescribed manner. You need to sign in the presence of 2 witnesses (who must also meet a couple of criteria). The next choice is whether to take the document to the Supreme Court for registration. There is an opinion that this is unjustified, since in theory the document is valid anyway. On the other hand, in practice, some authorities may be stubborn and not accept unregistered paper. This is just one of the issues related to Deed Poll on which doubts arise and it is interesting to know the opinion of an expert. There are many companies in the UK offering consulting and support services for those wishing to change their name through beed poll.
Deed Poll UK service
One of the online services. Information material has been prepared on the website, for example:
- answers to some popular questions;
- clarification of situations that raise doubts whether it is necessary to draw up a document or not;
- a list of organizations that should be notified about the name change when the finished paper is in hand.
You can also contact the staff and discuss the situation. Moreover, clients are guided step-by-step through the procedure. They work with adults who have decided to change their name, parents who want to rename their child, couples and family groups. The client fills out an application, receives a paper and signs (we remind you about witnesses).
The process takes 1-7 days and costs £50. A certificate and 5 official copies are provided.