Deed Poll

You do not need to pay a penny for a deed poll, just download a template off the website and fill it in. Charging for a deed poll is a rip off. There is no official list of names and you can call yourself anything you like as long as it is not with the intention to commit fraud.

I had to type a letter saying that I now wished to revert to my maiden name, and attach a copy of my Birth Certificate and my Decree Absolute showing my present name.

As it's not compulsory to take your husband's name upon marriage I would have thought that was sufficient.

Did you have a passport or driving licence in your married name? If so, surely the Passport Office and DVLA wanted to see a formal change of name

Next time I renewed my passport I just sent them a copy of the statutory declaration and they changed it on my passport without formality.

This was back in the 1980s.

Is your post addressed to me GSM?
I had to type a letter saying that I now wished to revert to my maiden name, and attach a copy of my Birth Certificate and my Decree Absolute showing my present name.

I had to return my passport, certified copy of Birth Certificate and my letter to the Passport Office for a new one in my maiden name. Similar for Driving Licence. Bank and Building Society wanted to see the original Birth Certificate in a local branch.

This was back in 2003. Rules might be different now with so much fraud.

Did you have a passport or driving licence in your married name? If so, surely the Passport Office and DVLA wanted to see a formal change of name?

If you change back to your maiden name, it's really easy because you already have your Birth Certificate in that name. If you want to choose a new surname entirely, then it's more complicated.

I reverted to my maiden name.

Thank you for saying Woe betide. Ì never thought I would hear that again but my.father would say ŵoe betide you before we were deemed ro be or do something.awful.

Dear all, thank you for your messages and helpful suggestions

My friend who misbehaves in restaurants always disliked her Christian name - I don’t blame her! After her parents died and her husband too, she changed it legally.

I changed my name "by usage" back in the 1980s. I no longer wished to keep my married name after I divorced or to return to my single one. So just chose one from my grandmothers family that I liked the sound of. I bought a statutory declaration form from a legal supply shop and made a declaratuion that henceforth I would be known as X. I got my doctor to sign as a witness. Then I simply wrote to appropriate bodies such as the bank, credit cards, etc to inform them of my decision. My passport and all my ID documents are now in my adopted name. This is one reason why I still renewed my passport even though I have no intention to travel abroad at my age.

When I separated I changed my name through a solicitor and Deed Poll to make it legal. My DS and DD also changed their name but had to wait until they were 18 years old to be legally acknowledged. There was a charge at the time for the documents to be witnessed by the solicitors.

Well it is necessary for passports and other legal documents I believeCallistomon you can call yourself what you like but it has to be done legally for government documents you can’t just put any old name on a passport etc

Did you not see the link I posted, 62Granny?

Callistemon21 no it's not necessary, and she hadn't planned to originally. Arguments during the divorce proceedings made her decide to revert back!

if you Google it scroll down to the .gov, site and they tell you you can do it yourself for £48. 32. If you go to a solicitor you would obviously pay more probably 2 hours of their hourly rate, so probably about £200. The worst thing I always find with doing things yourself on the .gov site is the registration process the verify you are who you say you are, but if you feel capable , give it a go.

I did, a few years now through a solicitor. Did not cost as much as Ivwas expecting.

V3ra

Someone I know changed their name online, back to their maiden name when they got divorced.
Cost £25 if I remember correctly, about twelve years ago.

Is that necessary?

We don't change our name by deed poll when we marry, those who do just assume a different surname, don't they?.

I know some women who still used their birth names professionally and their married names otherwise.

Someone I know changed their name online, back to their maiden name when they got divorced.
Cost £25 if I remember correctly, about twelve years ago.

I changed my name by deedpoll it was a long time ago so can’t help on prices it wasn’t that much then but it was a very simple procedure I remember we had to walk a few buildings away to swear in front of another solicitor I m sure it’s even easier now but maybe costs a lot more 😀

When I was at school a long time ago my friend changed her name by deed poll as she didn't like it and got teased a lot. It was a very brave thing to do and she paid for it out of her savings, but that was back in the day.

I remember how seriously the teachers took the whole thing and woe betide if you said the old name by mistake.

We all respected her for it- I can't give any information about costs now though.

This may be helpful
www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll