Information and advice about changing your name by Deed Poll
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About Deed Polls
What is a Deed Poll?
Why is it called a Deed Poll?
What is the purpose of a Deed Poll?
Who can apply for a Deed Poll?
Can I change my children's names?
Are there any restrictions on names?
Is a Deed Poll registered anywhere?
Can a birth certificate be changed?
Why do people change their name?
Answers to other FAQs

Changing your name by Deed Poll
How to apply

Services available and fees

Services for previous clients
Apply for a copy of your archived Deed Poll
Apply for a replacement Deed Poll

General name change information
Introduction
A woman's rights upon marriage
A man's rights upon marriage
A couple's rights upon a civil partnership
A woman's rights upon separation
A woman's rights upon divorce
A woman's rights upon being widowed
A child's rights upon adoption
Changing your name on your passport
Who to advise after changing your name

UK Deed Poll Service
Contact us
What our clients say about us
What the media says about us
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions and your rights
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About Deed Polls
What is a Deed Poll?
Why is it called a Deed Poll?
What is the purpose of a Deed Poll?
Who can apply for a Deed Poll?
Can I change my children's names?
Are there any restrictions on names?
Is a Deed Poll registered anywhere?
Can a birth certificate be changed?
Why do people change their name?
Answers to other FAQs

Changing your name by Deed Poll
How to apply

Services available and fees

Services for previous clients
Apply for a copy of your archived Deed Poll
Apply for a replacement Deed Poll

General name change information
Introduction
A woman's rights upon marriage
A man's rights upon marriage
A couple's rights upon a civil partnership
A woman's rights upon separation
A woman's rights upon divorce
A woman's rights upon being widowed
A child's rights upon adoption
Changing your name on your passport
Who to advise after changing your name

UK Deed Poll Service
Contact us
What our clients say about us
What the media says about us
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions and your rights
Home page

 

UK Deed Poll Service
Terms and conditions and your rights

This page contains our terms and conditions fees and statutory information concerning your rights under the The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000. The following terms and conditions are governed by the laws of England. By accessing this website you consent to these terms and to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts in all disputes arising out of such access. If any of these terms are deemed invalid or unenforceable for any reason, (including, but not limited to the exclusions and limitations set out below) then the invalid or unenforceable provision will be severed from these terms and the remaining terms will continue to apply.

Our guarantee
Because we are the main issuer of Deed Poll documentation in the United Kingdom, if your Deed Poll bearing our official seal is not accepted as documentary evidence of your change of name by any United Kingdom government department (including the UK Passport Service and DVLA), or any UK company or organisation, we will give you a full refund BUT ONLY after we have spoken to the organisation concerned to verify the reason for the non acceptance and had the opportunity to get your Deed Poll accepted. This is the limit of our liability (please see the exceptions below).  Very occasionally, our clients have experienced problems getting their Deed Poll accepted (because some organisations, or their staff, do not know what a Deed Poll is).  However, we have always overcome the problem by talking to the organisation concerned.

We give this guarantee as reassurance that the Deed Polls we prepare are as valid and legal as an unenrolled Deed Poll prepared by a solicitor in England or Wales. We have never had to give a refund under our guarantee.

Exceptions to our guarantee
Our guarantee does not apply in the following situations:

  • If you are a foreign national.
  • If your Deed Poll is not accepted by a government department, company or organisation outside the United Kingdom (British Embassies and British High Commissions overseas are considered part of the United Kingdom).
  • If your Deed Poll for a child is not accepted because the record holder's parental content requirements have not been met.
  • If your Deed Poll has not been correctly signed, dated and witnessed.
  • If a record holder requires other documentary evidence that your name has been changed for "all purposes."  For example, some financial institutions and the General Medical Council will want to see your passport in your new name before they recognise your new name.  Furthermore, the UK Passport Service (and British Embassies and British High Commissions overseas) may require evidence that you are using your new name for all purposes by presenting them with two or three documents in your new name.

Please note, a Deed Poll cannot be used to get your birth, marriage or decree absolute certificate changed. It is also not possible to get permanent records such as past educational certificates changed because these are "matter of fact" in that they were in the correct name when issued.

If we make a mistake
If we make a spelling mistake with your names or address or any typographical error on your Deed Poll, we will send you a corrected Deed Poll the same day you notify us of the mistake free of charge.

If you make a mistake
If any mistake is made on your Deed Poll, which is due to incorrect information supplied to us (typographical errors such as spelling mistakes, wrong postcode etc), we will issue a replacement Deed Poll for £12 within two working days. This reduced price replacement service only applies where there is a genuine mistake and it is not applicable if you have changed your mind about your new name or require a different address on your Deed Poll.

Unacceptable names and titles
We reserve the right not to accept an order for a Deed Poll that includes a name we consider vulgar, offensive, blasphemous or unsuitable. We will also not accept an order for a Deed Poll that includes a name or title that could make people believe you have a conferred or inherited honour, title or rank e.g. Sir, Lord, Lady, Baron, Baroness, Count, Countess, Duke, Duchess, General etc. Furthermore, we will only recognise genuine British titles.  Our decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into as to our reason for rejection.

Disclaimer
Whilst every care has been taken in the compilation of the information provided on this website, UK Deed Poll Service will not be held liable or responsible for any loss, damage or other inconvenience caused as a result of any inaccuracy or error within the pages of this website.

Statutory information about your rights

The following information is provided in accordance with The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 ("The Regulations"). The full text of which can be viewed by clicking here (opens new window).  Your other consumer rights are not affected by these regulations.

1. Your right to cancel
The Regulations allow you to cancel your order within seven working days of submitting your application. However, because we will prepare your Deed Poll before the end of the seven day cancellation period, your right to cancel is restricted to the period of time from submitting your application to when we prepare your Deed Poll. This is in accordance with section 13.1.a of The Regulations. By submitting an order for a Deed Poll you are agreeing to waive your seven day cancellation rights under The Regulations. Therefore, if you wish to cancel your order and receive a full refund, you must notify us before we prepare your Deed Poll.

2. Fees
Our fees, which include all applicable taxes, are as follows:

2.1 Adult Deed Poll
The fee for an Adult Deed Poll is £34 (£39 if ordered by phone or in person). If additional Deed Polls are ordered at the same time for adults or children living at and posted to the same address, they will be discounted by £10 each i.e. £24 (£29 if ordered by phone or in person) for each additional Adult Deed Poll and £28 (£33 if ordered by phone or in person) for any Child Deed Polls. For example, the fee for two Adult Deed Polls will be £58 (£68 if ordered by phone or in person).  Our fee includes delivery using our Standard Delivery Service to United Kingdom addresses.

2.2 Child Deed Poll
The fee for a Child Deed Poll is £38 (£43 if ordered in person). If additional Deed Polls are ordered at the same time for children or adults living at and posted to the same address, they will be discounted by £10 each i.e. £28 (£33 if ordered in person) for each additional Child Deed Poll and £24 (£29 if ordered in person) for any Adult Deed Polls. For example, the fee for two Child Deed Polls will be £66 (£76 if ordered in person).  Our fee includes delivery using our Standard Delivery Service to United Kingdom addresses.

2.3 Family Deed Poll
The fee for a Family Deed Poll is £34 (£39 if ordered in person) for the first parent, £24 (£29 if ordered in person) for the second parent (if required) and £8 for each child included on the first parent's Deed Poll. For example, the fee for a Deed Poll with two children included will cost £50 (£55 if ordered in person).  Our fee includes delivery using our Standard Delivery Service to United Kingdom addresses.

2.4 UK Standard Delivery Service
The fee for our UK Standard Service, for addresses within the United Kingdom, is included in the price of your Deed Poll.

2.5 UK Priority Delivery Service
The additional fee for our UK Priority Service, which is available for addresses within the United Kingdom, is £5.

2.6 UK Express Delivery Service
The additional fee for our UK Express Service (for next working day delivery before 1pm), which is available for addresses within mainland United Kingdom, is £10.

2.7 UK Express (Saturday) Delivery Service
The additional fee for our UK Express Service (for delivery on Saturday before 1pm), which is available for addresses within mainland United Kingdom, is £14.

2.8 UK Express Plus Delivery Service
The additional fee for our UK Express Plus Service (for next day delivery before 9am), which is available for addresses within mainland United Kingdom, is £18.

2.9 UK Express Plus (Saturday) Delivery Service
The additional fee for our UK Express Plus Service (for delivery on Saturday before 9am), which is available for addresses within mainland United Kingdom, is £22.

2.10 Overseas Delivery Services
If your delivery address is outside the United Kingdom, an additional fee of £5 is payable (£10 for our Overseas Express service and £10 plus FedEx's fees for our Overseas Express Courier service).

2.11 Legal Copy and Archive Service
The fee for our Legal Copy and Archive Service is £13.  In addition to this, legal copies cost £1 each (minimum of two copies).  If legal copies are subsequently ordered from our archives (i.e. at any time in the future), the fee is £12 for the first copy and £2 each for additional copies. If your delivery address is outside the United Kingdom, an additional fee of £5 is payable to cover the postage of returning your Deed Poll and legal copies.  Overseas deliveries are despatched using either Royal Mail's Airsure or International Signed-For accelerated airmail service.

Please note, if you return your Deed Poll to us for legal copies and you have incorrectly executed or invalidated the document by, for example, using a relative as a witness, a fee of £15 is payable to reissue your Deed Poll documentation.

2.12 Change of title declaration
If you are applying for an Adult Deed Poll and are changing your title e.g. from Mrs to Miss, we can incorporate a change of title declaration on your Deed Poll document for which an additional £4 fee is payable.

If you are changing your title but do not wish to incur the £4 fee, please enter the same title as your current title and your new title on the application form.  We will only include your title on your Deed Poll document if you are changing it.  Therefore, by not showing a change of title, only your name change will be shown on your Deed Poll document.

2.13 Modifications to your Deed Poll
If you require your Deed Poll to be modified to include an "also known as name", a "formerly known as name" or a "registered at birth name", a fee of £8 for each modification is payable.  If you require a modification, please use the comments box on the application form.

2.14 Replacement Deed Poll declaration
If you order a Deed Poll to replace a lost Deed Poll, we can modify your replacement Deed Poll to include a declaration that states you have been using your current name for all purposes since a particular date.  If you would like this modification made, for which an additional £4 fee is payable, please please use the comments box on the application form to let us know the date (at least the year) when you originally changed you name.

2.15 Manual card authorisation fee
If you are applying for your Deed Poll using our Express or Priority services and we are unable to obtain authorisation from your issuing bank when processing your payment electronically using our card terminal, we will need to call our Merchant Card Services provider (Streamline) for manual authorisation.  This results in us being charged a fee that will be passed on to you, which is currently £4.  Please note, most card transactions are authorised electronically so it is unlikely that you will incur the manual card authorisation fee.

3. Available fee reductions
The following fee reductions are available:

3.1 if you applying for more than one Deed Poll
If you apply for more than one Deed Poll (for other people whose Deed Poll and delivery addresses are the same as yours), you will receive a fee reduction of £10 for the second (and any subsequent) Deed Poll applied for.  For example, if you apply online or by post for two Adult Deed Polls, the fee for the first Deed Poll will be £34 and the fee for the second Deed Poll will be £24.

3.2 If you are a previous client
You can claim an £10 fee reduction on the total value of your order if you have changed your name with us before.  This fee reduction cannot be claimed in addition to the qualifying benefit reduction.

3.3 if you are receiving a qualifying benefit
You can claim a £10 fee reduction on the total value of your order if you are receiving any of the following benefits:

  • Income Support.
  • Pension Credit.
  • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.
  • Working Tax Credit.
  • Child Tax Credit (if your annual household income is less than £15,000).

You can also claim the £10 fee reduction if you are applying for an Adult Deed Poll and you are between 16 and 19 years of age and someone receives Child Benefit for you.

The fee reduction is only available if you send us recent written evidence (an original award letter dated within three months of receipt by us) of your benefit entitlement.  Please click here (opens pop-up window) for contact details for obtaining an up-to-date award letter.

Please note, if you are paying for an Adult Deed Poll by debit or credit card and your award letter does not arrive by the time your Deed Poll is due to be posted to you, we will process your application and enclose a claim form, which you can return to us with your award letter for a refund.

This fee reduction cannot be claimed in addition to the previous client reduction.

4. Payment
Payment is required in full for all chargeable items before we prepare your Deed Poll. If you are paying by debit or credit card, payment is deemed to have been made when we obtain authorisation from your card company. If you are paying by cheque, payment is deemed to have been made when your cheque has cleared (allow five working days for cheque clearance). If you are paying by postal orders, building society cheque or banker's draft, payment is deemed to have been made upon their receipt.

5. Delivery and performance
Upon receipt of your application form and full payment (and the appropriate letter(s) of consent if you applied for a child or family Deed Poll), we will post your Deed Poll in accordance with the type of delivery service you have chosen.

5.1 UK Standard Delivery Service
This is included in the fee for your Deed Poll. We aim to post your Deed Poll documentation within four working days of receiving your application and payment using Royal Mail's first class mail service. If Royal Mail fail to deliver your Deed Poll, first check with your local delivery office in case there was a problem delivering and it is there awaiting collection.  If after seven working days of our posting, your Deed Poll documentation has not been delivered and you have checked it is not at your local delivery office, we will issue a replacement Deed Poll free of charge, which is the limit of our liability.  Please note, we must be notified of non-delivery within 21 days of our posting to qualify for a free replacement.

5.2 UK Priority Delivery Service
Our Priority Service uses Royal Mail's first class mail service and we will post your Deed Poll the same day we receive your application and payment (if received by 6pm Monday to Friday).  If Royal Mail fail to deliver your Deed Poll, first check with your local delivery office in case there was a problem delivering and it is there awaiting collection.  If after seven working days of our posting, your Deed Poll documentation has not been delivered and you have checked it is not at your local delivery office, we will issue a replacement Deed Poll free of charge, which is the limit of our liability.  Please note, we must be notified of non-delivery within 21 days of our posting to qualify for a free replacement.

5.3 UK Express Delivery Service
Our next day Express Service is available for delivery to mainland United Kingdom addresses. We will post your Deed Poll using Royal Mail's special delivery service, which guarantees delivery by 1pm next working day. Working days are Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).  Your application form and full payment must be received before 6pm (Monday to Friday) for next working day delivery. If Royal Mail fail to deliver or attempt delivery of your Deed Poll by the next working day (and we are notified within 21 days of posting) we will we will issue a replacement Deed Poll free of charge and refund you £5, which is the limit of our liability.

5.4 UK Express (Saturday) Delivery Service
Our next day Express (Saturday) Service is available for delivery to mainland United Kingdom addresses. We will post your Deed Poll using Royal Mail's special delivery service, which guarantees delivery by 1pm on Saturday.  Your application form and full payment must be received before 6pm Friday for next day delivery. If Royal Mail fail to deliver or attempt delivery of your Deed Poll on Saturday (and we are notified within 21 days of posting) we will we will issue a replacement Deed Poll free of charge and refund you £7, which is the limit of our liability.

5.5 UK Express Plus Delivery Service
Our next day Express Plus Service is available for delivery to mainland United Kingdom addresses. We will post your Deed Poll using Royal Mail's special delivery service, which guarantees delivery by 9am next working day. Working days are Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).  Saturday delivery is usually possible but is not guaranteed. Your application form and full payment must be received before 6pm (Monday to Friday) for next working day delivery. If Royal Mail fail to deliver or attempt delivery of your Deed Poll by the next working day (and we are notified within 21 days of posting) we will issue a replacement Deed Poll free of charge and refund you £12, which is the limit of our liability.

5.6 UK Express Plus (Saturday) Delivery Service
Our next day Express Plus (Saturday) Service is available for delivery to mainland United Kingdom addresses. We will post your Deed Poll using Royal Mail's special delivery service, which guarantees delivery by 9am on Saturday.  Your application form and full payment must be received before 6pm Friday for next day delivery. If Royal Mail fail to deliver or attempt delivery of your Deed Poll on Saturday (and we are notified within 21 days of posting) we will we will issue a replacement Deed Poll free of charge and refund you £14, which is the limit of our liability.

5.7 Overseas Delivery Service
We aim to post your Deed Poll within four working days using Royal Mail's Airsure (or International Signed-For) accelerated air mail service. If your Deed Poll fails to arrive, we will issue a replacement Deed Poll free of charge once Royal Mail confirm the package has been lost.

5.8 Overseas Express Delivery Service
We aim to post your Deed Poll the same day using Royal Mail's Airsure (or International Signed-For) accelerated air mail service. If your Deed Poll fails to arrive, we will issue a replacement Deed Poll free of charge once Royal Mail confirm the package has been lost.

5.9 Legal Copy and Archive Service
Upon receipt of your executed Deed Poll, we will post your legal copies and original Deed Poll back to you within two working days using Royal Mail's first class mail service. If your legal copies and Deed Poll fail to arrive with seven working days of our posting, we will issue a replacement Deed Poll and legal copies free of charge. This is the limit of our liability. If your delivery address is outside the United Kingdom, your legal copies and Deed Poll will posted using Royal Mail's Airsure (or Signed-For) accelerated airmail service. If your legal copies and Deed Poll fail to arrive within 21 days of posting, we will issue a replacement Deed Poll and legal copies free of charge. This is the limit of our liability.

6. Force Majeure
We shall not be liable for any failure to provide our services if such failure results from any act of God, riot, war, civil unrest, official or unofficial industrial action, flood or other cause beyond our reasonable control (including any mechanical, electronic, or communications failure or failure by Royal Mail or FedEx to deliver items posted to you).

7. Who we are
UK Deed Poll Service is operated by Multimedia Computing Ltd, incorporated in England in 1992 number 2741698 and registered under the Data Protection Act 1998 number is Z9008238. Our VAT registration number is 788332980.  Our principal trading address is: Freebournes Court, Witham, Essex, CM8 2BL, United Kingdom.  Telephone: 0333 444 8484. Please call between 10am and 6pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays).  Our registered office address is situated at: Carlton House, 101 New London Road, Chelmsford, CM2 0PP, United Kingdom.

Last updated: 12 November 2007


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