UK Deed Poll Service
Terms and conditions and your rights
This page contains our terms and conditions 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.
1. 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 Identity and Passport Service and the 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 Poll
documentation we issue are as legally valid and as unenrolled Deed Polls issued
by solicitors in England or Wales. We have never had to give a refund under
our guarantee.
2. 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 consent 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 will recognise your new name. Furthermore, the
UK Identity and 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.
- If your are detained under the Mental Health Act and your clinicians decide
you do not have sufficient mental capacity to understand the significance and
consequences of changing your name.
- If the UK Identity and Passport Service (IPS) deem your new name to be
frivolous. There has been a recent change to IPS policy (January 2009)
where IPS have refused some passport applications for people who have changed
their name to what we call a fun name. The policy is being contested by
those affected and we anticipate it being overturned.
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.
3. 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.
4. 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. If delivery is to an overseas address, an additional £6
postage is payable for Royal Mail's International Signed-For
service. This reduced fee replacement service only applies where
there is a genuine mistake and it is not applicable if you have lost your
Deed Poll or have changed your mind about your new name or require, for example, a different
address on your Deed Poll. Furthermore, you will need to return your Deed Poll
to us before we will issue a reduced fee replacement.
5. 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.
6. Other terms and conditions
6.1 How names and addresses will appear on your Deed Poll document
Forenames will be printed
in capitalised lower case and surnames in capital letters e.g. Mary-Ann
Sarah SMITH and Katharine McLean FORBES-HAMILTON. If a forename starts
with Mc (or Mac), it will be printed as, for example, McDonald (or
MacDonald). If a surname starts with Mc or Mac, it will be printed as,
for example, McDONALD (or MacDONALD). If you prefer such a forename to
be printed in capitalised lower case (e.g. as Macdonald) or surname to be
printed capital letters (e.g. MACDONALD), please tell us using the comments
box on the application form. Except for the postcode, addresses will
be printed in capitalised lower case.
6.2 The issue of legal copies of your executed Deed Poll document
We will only issue legal copies of your Deed
Poll if it has been correctly executed (in accordance with the instructions
enclosed with your Deed Poll document). If you return your executed
Deed Poll to us for our Legal Copy and Archive Service and in our opinion,
you have invalidated your Deed Poll, for example, your witness is not
independent of you or you have altered your Deed Poll using correction fluid
etc, we will ask you to pay a £15 fee for a replacement Deed Poll document
and a new postage-paid return envelope. If you do not accept this fee,
we reserve the right to return your Deed Poll document to you (without
issuing legal copies of it) and refund the fee you paid for our Legal Copy
and Archive Service less a £3 handling fee.
7. 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 and 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. Our fees
Our fees include all applicable taxes and delivery using our UK Standard delivery service.
2.1 Adult and Child Deed Polls
(if ordered online, by post or in person)
|
Adult |
Child |
| Fee for one Deed Poll |
£33 |
£35 |
| If a 2nd Deed Poll is also ordered |
£23 |
£25 |
| If a 3rd Deed Poll is also ordered |
£18 |
£20 |
| If a 4th (or more) Deed Poll is also ordered |
£13 |
£15 |
To qualify for the reduced fees for additional Deed Polls ordered, they
must be ordered at the same time and have the same delivery and Deed Poll address.
Examples:
One adult = £33
Two adults = £33 + £23 = £56
One adult and one child = £33 + £25 = £58
Three children = £35 + £25 + £20 = £80
2.2 Adult and Child Deed Polls
(if ordered by phone)
|
Adult |
Child* |
| Fee for one Deed Poll |
£37 |
£39 |
| If a 2nd Deed Poll is also ordered |
£27 |
£29 |
| If a 3rd Deed Poll is also ordered |
£22 |
£24 |
| If a 4th (or more) Deed Poll is also ordered |
£17 |
£19 |
* You can only order a Child Deed Poll
by phone if you have sole parental responsibility. |
To qualify for the reduced fees for additional Deed Polls ordered, they
must be ordered at the same time and have the same delivery and Deed Poll address.
Examples:
Two adults = £37 + £27 = £64
One adult and one child = £37 + £29 = £66
Three children = £39 + £29 + £24 = £92
2.3 Family Deed Poll
(ordered online, by post or in person)
The fee for a Family Deed Poll is £33 for the applicant parent,
£23 for a spouse/partner (if required) and £8 for each child included on the applicant
parent's Deed Poll. For example, the fee for a Deed Poll for one parent with two
children under the age of 16 will be £33 + £8 + £8 = £49. The fee for both parents
and two children under the age of 16 will be £33 + £8 + £8 + £23 = £72.
You cannot order a Family Deed Poll by phone because we need to receive a
letter of consent for all children included on the application.
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 fee for our UK Priority Service, which is available for addresses within the United Kingdom, is £4.
2.6 UK Express delivery service
The 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 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 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 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 shipping
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 plus £1 for
each legal copy ordered (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 Royal Mail's
International Signed-For service, which is an 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. An additional fee of £6
is payable if we have to post your replacement Deed Poll to an overseas address.
If after receiving your Deed Poll documentation, you decide you no longer require
our Legal Copy and Archive Service, you can obtain a full refund for the service (less
a £2 administration fee) if you send back to us the postage-paid return envelope together
with the return slip marked "Service no longer required, please refund."
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 Inclusion of an additional address
If you have another address that appears on some of your
documents and records, we can also include this address on your Deed Poll document,
for which an additional fee of £2 is payable.
2.14 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.
2.15 Declaration for a past name change
If
you order a Deed Poll to replace a lost Deed Poll or Statutory Declaration, 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 use the comments box on the application form to let us know
when and how your name was changed to your current name.
2.16 Legalisation service
If you require your Deed Poll to be
legalised with an Apostille by the UK government's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we can
arrange this on your behalf for which a £60 fee is payable. The fee
for additional documents is £40 each. If delivery is to an address
outside the UK and you do not also order our Legal Copy and Archive Service, an additional fee of £6 is payable for Royal Mail's
International Signed-For service (for the return of your legalised Deed
Poll).
2.17 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 are a previous client
You can claim a £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.
3.2 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.
- Income related Employment & Support Allowance.
- 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 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 (application
means your application form, payment and letter of consent if needed to
support a Child or Family Deed Poll application), we
will post your Deed Poll documentation in accordance with the delivery service you
requested, which are:
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 using Royal Mail's first class mail
service. If Royal Mail fails 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 package has
not been delivered and you have checked it is not at your local delivery
office awaiting collection, 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 UK Priority service uses Royal Mail's first class
mail service for delivery to UK addresses. We will post your Deed Poll
documentation the same day we receive your application if received by 6pm Monday
to Friday (except bank holidays) or by midday Saturday. If Royal Mail
fails 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 package has not been delivered
and you have checked it is not at your local delivery office awaiting collection,
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 UK Express service is available for delivery to
most United Kingdom mainland addresses. We will post your Deed Poll
documentation using Royal Mail's Special Delivery service, which guarantees
delivery by 1pm next working day to most UK mainland addresses. Working
days are Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). Your application
must be received by 6pm Monday to Friday (except bank holidays) or by midday
Saturday for next working day delivery.
If Royal Mail fails to deliver, or attempts to deliver, in accordance with their
delivery guarantee (and we are notified within seven days of posting) we will
we will issue a replacement Deed Poll free of charge (if necessary) and
refund you £8, which is the limit of our liability.
5.4 UK Express (Saturday) delivery service
Our UK Express (Saturday) service is available for delivery
to most United Kingdom mainland addresses. We will post your Deed Poll
documentation using Royal Mail's special delivery service, which guarantees
delivery by 1pm on Saturday to most UK mainland addresses. Your application
must be received by 6pm on a Friday (except bank holidays) for Saturday delivery.
If Royal Mail fails to deliver, or attempts to deliver, in accordance with their
delivery guarantee (and we are notified within seven days of posting) we will we will
issue a replacement Deed Poll free of charge (if necessary) and refund you £12, which
is the limit of our liability.
5.5 UK Express Plus delivery service
Our Express Plus service is available for delivery to
most United Kingdom mainland addresses. We will post your Deed Poll documentation
using Royal Mail's Special Delivery service, which guarantees delivery by 9am next working
day to most UK mainland addresses. Working days are Monday to Friday (excluding bank
holidays). Your application must be received by 6pm Monday to Friday (except bank
holidays) or by midday Saturday for next working day delivery.
If Royal Mail fails to deliver, or attempts to deliver, in accordance with their delivery
guarantee (and we are notified within seven days of posting) we will issue a replacement
Deed Poll free of charge (if necessary) and refund you £16, which is the limit of our
liability.
5.6 UK Express Plus (Saturday) delivery service
Our Express Plus (Saturday) service is available for delivery
to most United Kingdom mainland addresses. We will post your Deed Poll documentation
using Royal Mail's special delivery service, which guarantees delivery by 9am on Saturday
to most UK mainland addresses. Your application must be received by 6pm on a Friday
(except bank holidays) for Saturday delivery.
If Royal Mail fails to deliver, or attempts to deliver, in accordance with their delivery
guarantee (and we are notified within seven days of posting) we will we will issue a
replacement Deed Poll free of charge (if necessary) and refund you £20, which is the limit
of our liability.
5.7 Overseas delivery service
We aim to post your Deed Poll documentation within four working
days using Royal Mail's International Signed-For service, which is an accelerated
air mail service. If your Deed Poll documentation fails to arrive, we will issue
a replacement free of charge once Royal Mail confirms your package has been lost. This
is the limit of our liability. If, in the meantime, you require replacement Deed Poll
documentation to be posted to you, a fee of £18 is payable, which will be refunded when
Royal Mail confirms your package has been lost.
5.8 Overseas Express delivery service
We will post your Deed Poll documentation
the same day using Royal Mail's International Signed-For service,
which is an accelerated air mail service, if your application is received by
6pm Monday to Friday (except bank holidays). If your Deed Poll
documentation fails to arrive, we will issue a replacement free of charge
once Royal Mail confirms your package has been lost. This is the limit
of our liability. If, in the meantime, you require replacement Deed
Poll documentation to be posted to you, a fee of £18 is payable, which will
be refunded when Royal Mail confirms your package has been lost.
5.9 Overseas Express Courier delivery service
We will post your Deed Poll documentation the same day using
FedEx's International Priority service if your application is received by 1pm Monday
to Friday (except bank holidays). If your Deed Poll documentation fails to arrive,
we will issue a replacement free of charge once FedEx confirms your package has been lost.
This is the limit of our liability. If, in the meantime, you require replacement Deed
Poll documentation to be posted to you, a fee of £12 plus FedEx's fee is payable,
which will be refunded when FedEx confirms your package has been lost.
5.10 Legal Copy and Archive Service delivery services
Upon receipt of your correctly executed Deed Poll, we aim
to post your legal copies and original Deed Poll back to you within two working
days using Royal Mail's first class mail service. If after seven working
days of our posting, your package has not been delivered and you have checked it is
not at your local delivery office awaiting collection, we will issue replacements
free of charge, which is the limit of our liability.
If your delivery address is outside the United Kingdom, your legal copies and
Deed Poll will be posted using Royal Mail's International Signed-For
service. If your Deed Poll and legal copies fail to arrive, we will
issue replacements free of charge once Royal Mail confirms your package has
been lost. This is the limit of our liability. If, in the
meantime, you require a replacement Deed Poll and legal copies to be posted
to you, a fee of £24 is payable, which will be refunded when Royal Mail confirms
your package has been lost.
Please note, we must be notified of non-delivery within 21 days of our posting
to qualify for a free replacement.
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 and our registration numbers
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 9am and 6pm, Monday to
Friday (except public holidays). Our registered office address is: South House
Lodge, Mundon Road, Maldon, Essex, CM9 6PP, United Kingdom.
Last updated: 1 June 2009
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