Changing Name by Deed Poll

I need to change my name before i get married, as I'll be adopting my fiancee's surname and double barrelling it with mine (her family name will die out otherwise ).

It's easier for me to change my name now so the new double surname will be on the marriage certificate, that way she won't have to Deed Poll her name after we're married.

So does anyone know anything about how you actually go about it, how much it costs, will I have any problems with the bank, my passport, driving licence etc etc?

I've googled it extensively but I'd kind of like to hear from someone with some personal experience, as the websites naturally paint a rosy picture of hassle-free perfection, and I don't believe in it.

Oh, BTW, I'm getting married

You can do it online for about £25.

You'll then need to inform the usual suspects: DVLA, Tax, etc etc.

Got my DVLA one doen for free as I was transferring from a paper based card to a photo one at the same time. Otherwise I *think* that was £25-ish also.

Biggest problem I had was with my bank as they kept updating their system then sending me a cash card in the wrong name (took 17 attempts to get the correct name on the card).

You'll have loads of fun attempting to pay for stuff & putting your wrong name down.

Congratulations btw!!!!

you can do it for free through the citizins advice bureau thats what i did when i seperated from my husband.

Congratulations

Thanks Kinvig and Tara - I thought it would be a long shot asking if anyone had any personal experience - didn't realise so many people would have changed their names!

I'll give CAB a ring and see if they can help then... free stuff is good.

Congrats...

... and perfect timing - I was thinking about asking the same question - just not for the same reasons.

I promised to change my surname to my Nan's maiden one after her death as she was the last 'Knight'. The name meant alot to her father, and as she was an only daughter it was 'lost' when she married - and would be gone completely after she died kinda thing.

It's as good an opportunity as any to change my christian and middle name too... just having trouble settling on something I really like that also won't upset the parents too much.

Originally Posted by K

Congrats...

... and perfect timing - I was thinking about asking the same question - just not for the same reasons.

I promised to change my surname to my Nan's maiden one after her death as she was the last 'Knight'. The name meant alot to her father, and as she was an only daughter it was 'lost' when she married - and would be gone completely after she died kinda thing.

It's as good an opportunity as any to change my christian and middle name too... just having trouble settling on something I really like that also won't upset the parents too much.

How about..

Dark
Mid
Cold
Windy....
The Mystic....
Black (deep purple)

Sorry K!

Originally Posted by Tara

you can do it for free through the citizins advice bureau thats what i did when i seperated from my husband.

Congratulations

T, that only applies in the case of marital seperation.

Originally Posted by Kinvig

You can do it online for about £25.

Can you? Blimey! It's got cheaper since I did it. I did it online & paid £60.

Originally Posted by WRCSixtyThree

So does anyone know anything about how you actually go about it, how much it costs, will I have any problems with the bank, my passport, driving licence etc etc?

I've googled it extensively but I'd kind of like to hear from someone with some personal experience, as the websites naturally paint a rosy picture of hassle-free perfection, and I don't believe in it.

Oh, BTW, I'm getting married

Firstly, congratulations.

Secondly, I changed my surname about 2-3 years back. We weren't married, and lil nipper on the way, kids from a previous relationship, so we wanted them all to have the same surname. Either change the other kids surname to match me, or mine to there's. The latter is what we did.

From what I remember, it was pretty simple stuff.

A case of filling in the form online, get one posted to you for someone to validate (we got the midwife to do that). Sending off with payment, and you get a wax sealed document back. Done. It's now apparently illegal for me to refer to myself as my former name (eg, to Police). Nifty.

One tip, fork out for at least 5 "legal copies" and only ever send out 3, always have 2 in your hand! That way, you can write off to three companies (eg, Bank, DVLA & Tax man) & you still have legal copies back. Each copy costs you £10. The folks at Deed Poll send you a list of everyone that you'll need to notify, so it's just a matter of working your way through that list. A couple of companies didn't want to send the documents back, and required legal copies sending to them (not everyone does, some will accept photocopies). That was a bit of a pain, but after calling to complain & following up with a letter, someone must of said Abracadabra & pulled my forms from thin air, because they appeared when I'd been told they'd been sent months before.

Other than companies not sending the legal copies back, or wanting to charge an "admin fee" for changing your name on their system, it was hassle free. If anyone does want to charge you a fee, just politely explain the Data Protection Act and the fact that they have a legal duty to keep data accurate. They're also not allowed to charge you for helping them keep data accurate.

Deed Poll name changes also have the advantage that if there's anyone that you want to loose contact with, you can reply "sorry, there's no-one by that name at this address, please amend your records accordingly, you have 28 days, fail to do so & we'll slap you with DPA as well!"

Good luck with it, any questions along the way, feel free to drop me a PM.

Originally Posted by Sudoxe

How about..

Dark
Mid
Cold
Windy....
The Mystic....

Sorry K!

But it does illustrate my problem well enough.

My current surname is 'Lee' - so double barrelling it to Knight-Lee just means anything is going to sound like a cheap porn-star.

The fact that my favourite christian name ever was from an obscure set of pulp detective novels - there was a female P.I. called 'September'...

... September Knight has a nice theatrical ring to it, but certainly makes me sound like I had degenerate hippies for parents! (Which they certainly aren't/weren't. )

A woman can take the male surname at marriage and "barrel" it, why can't you do so the other way around. It shouldnt cost you, speak to the registrar.

Congrats.