Understanding Deed Polls

You may not have heard of a deed poll before. It is a legal document that establishes a name change. We will talk about it right now, so you understand the concept. It’s something you may want to look into in certain situations.

Why Would You Choose to Change Your Name?

If you want to change your name, you might have a positive reason for it. Maybe you’re going to take on a new legal name because you’re going to marry someone. Perhaps you want to change your name because you’re getting into a new career. You feel like you need something flashy or catchy that will help you establish yourself.

Maybe your name change reason isn’t so positive. Perhaps you divorce someone and want to reclaim your old name. Maybe you did something you really regret, and you feel like a new identity can give you a fresh start.

You might feel like you need a new name to get away from someone who won’t leave you alone. If you have a stalker or ex who keeps threatening you, moving away and changing your name might keep them at bay.

Whatever the purpose behind wanting to change your name, a deed poll is a legal way to do it.

What Can You Do with a Deed Poll?

If you go to an entity that provides deed polls, you can get a document and write the new name in the appropriate spot. You can make up an entirely new name that doesn’t connect to or resemble your old one.

However, you can also change your name slightly. For instance, you can keep your current first name but add your spouse’s name to your last name along with a hyphen. You can change your name’s spelling if you never liked it very much. You can change either the first or last name’s spelling, or both.

You can legally remove your middle name if you never liked it, or you can give yourself a middle name if your parents never gave you one. When you come up with the ideal name, you can proceed with the deed poll.

What Else Can You Do with a Deed Poll?

When you make out a deed poll, it’s like your new name’s coming out party. Once you have made out and submitted the documentation, you can start telling your friends and family members to call you by your new legal name.

You can also submit it to your job so your coworkers can call you by your new name. You can show it to the payroll department so they can start making out your paychecks to the new name from that point forward.

You will also need the deed poll when you go to change your driver’s license to one with the new name on it. You will need to show it when you update the register if you’re a voter. You’ll need it for things like updating a library card or any other document that still shows the previous name.

The deed poll has a date on it that shows when you officially gave up your old name and started using the new one. You should know that you must pay a small fee when you submit the deed poll. The cost will vary depending on your origin country.

How to Start the Process

To get the deed poll process going, you’ll need to go to the proper online website and start filling out the form. It should take you about ten minutes to fill out that form, so clear a little schedule space for that.

You’ll get the deed poll and copies of it. Then, you can have a witness sign that deed poll and the copies. You should get someone you trust to sign the deed poll. You might use a family member, friend, or neighbor. If you want things to seem even more official, you might even use a lawyer or a notary.

Do You Need a Deed Poll for a Legal Name Change?

If someone wants to change their legal name, they might ask whether they need a deed poll. That depends on the name change circumstances.

For instance, you don’t legally need a deed poll for a marriage name change, though you can certainly use one. In the UK, if you marry someone and change your name at that time, you can use the marriage license to make the changes we talked about earlier, such as driver’s license or payroll changes at work.

You can still get a deed poll that shows the name change, but you don’t necessarily need one. Divorcing someone is a time when you will definitely want a deed poll. You might have separated from your spouse, but the divorce has not gone through quite yet. The deed poll will show everyone the official date you stopped using your married name.

You will always want a deed poll if you change your gender. You will want one if you change your religion or officially join a different culture. Then, the deed poll can act as a declaration that you want people to call you by this new moniker you’ve created. The document can help you for your new identity’s sake.

Getting a Deed Poll Can Move You Toward Your Life’s Next Phase

Whether you want to get a new name for positive reasons or negative ones, you might not feel like you can move on until you do it. Getting a deed poll by filling out the form online, paying the fee, and having a witness sign it and the copies is a huge step in the right direction.

Once you do that, you’re well on your way toward becoming this new person. Just know that you can’t pick a vulgar name or one that promotes fraudulent activities. If you try something like that, you might see a deed poll rejection. Then, you will need to start the process all over again.