All About UK Deed Poll
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by: Suze.
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Word Count: 349
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2011 Time: 11:11 AM
Changing your name by Deed Poll is the most popular method for legally changing your name in the UK.
Deed Polls are only legal in the UK in as far as they are a UK legal document however they will be accepted by most foreign embassies in this country and indeed most British embassies based abroad.
Both British citizens and UK residents can change their names by Deed Poll, even foreign citizens so long as they are resident here in the UK or British Citizens living abroad who wish to for example renew their British Passport.
A Deed Poll binds the signatory to three declarations which are; abandoning their old name, use their new name at all times and require that everyone should address them by their new name only.
There can sometimes by restrictions on the names you can use officially, for example The UK Deed Poll Office will not accept applications which contain names which are deemed to be offensive, vulgar or blasphemous.
The price of a Deed Poll can vary in the UK because the Government does not regulate the cost of drafting legal documents hence you can pay anywhere up to £200 for a Deed Poll document but no matter how much (or little) you pay, providing you are dealing with a reputable company/firm all correctly drafted Deeds will serve the same purpose.
Every year over 200000 people change their names by Deed Poll in the UK, a figure which is growing year-on-year.
You can get copies of a lost Deed Poll online, for example The UK Deed Poll Office can re-create an original change of name Deed but with a special amendment to show the new name has been used since a certain date.
You can get certified copies of a Deed Poll which simply means you send your signed original back to the firm that drafted it whereby they will make a photocopy which will be marked or ‘certified’ as a ‘true copy of the original’. The DVLA and Identity and Passport Service (IPS) will not accept un-certified photocopies.
About the Author
Susan is the author of this article on Deed poll. Find more information about Name change here.
