Changing Name by Deed Poll

Originally Posted by Baph

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


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



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.

Cheers Baph, great info... that's the sort of thing I'm after.

Originally Posted by 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. )

How about 'September Knightley' (for added spice, add the middle name 'Thrice')

Originally Posted by Mogs

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.

I don't know why you can't do it, but all the information says that whilst it's legally acceptable for a woman to change her name to her husbands with no problem and nothing other than a marriage certificate, to double-barrel and become fully legal (ie passport, taxes, electoral register etc) you'd both need a Deed Poll, unless husband changes name first. Stupid rules, but that's the way it is apparently.

Oh yeah if you're sending off licence to DVLA, take a copy of it and what entitlements you have on it. Just in case they decide you dont have a full bike licence as has been known to happen

Originally Posted by lynw

Oh yeah if you're sending off licence to DVLA, take a copy of it and what entitlements you have on it. Just in case they decide you dont have a full bike licence as has been known to happen

True enough.

Just don't complain if they add entitlements, like they did to mine

Originally Posted by Baph

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

Really? sorry about that didn't realise

Originally Posted by Sudoxe

How about..

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

Sorry K!

Or "Twicer-"

How long does the whole process normally take?

My passport needs renewing (before I toddle off to the Nurburgring again in July) and I figure it would be better to get the whole name change thing done beforehand.

How about 'September Knightley' (for added spice, add the middle name 'Thrice')

Hmmm, back to sounding like a hooker/porn star aren't we?!

I was had thought of keeping 'Lee' as my middle name... but then my brother reproduced - so there is a continuation of that surname and now I don't feel quite so obliged to retain it.

It's the christian name that's really the sticking point - regardless of middle name (if indeed I choose to keep one)... I was kinda named for my Nan with a variation of Kathleen (her name), but the surname is gonna be that connection.
So, after having my parents change my birthname when they adopted me (which was Michelle - yerch - no way) I'd sort of like 'my own' name.

Does anyone actualy get what I mean?

Originally Posted by Jabba

Or "Twicer-"

That's definately into two-bit hooker territory.
I'm heading for a slap on the wrist for U-rating contravention soon - but it's not my fault Guv, it's them big boys sir.

Hmm... How about Keira Knight-Lee?







Taxiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Originally Posted by K

How long does the whole process normally take?

It took me about 2 weeks to get the Deed Poll documents sorted, then about another 3 months after that to sort out all the fiddly little companies with no customer services (like the Passport folks)!

Originally Posted by Baph

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.

very good advice there - when i got married i found that everyone under the sun seemed to want to see the official certification, but funnily enough several of them didn't bother sending the certificate back to me. And then you lose track of who hadn't returned one to chase it up, etc