How to update your name on your driving licence with a Deed Poll

If you intend to make a change of name by Deed Poll, you will need to update your driving licence if you have one. You can do this simply by completing the necessary D1 form and posting this, along with an original copy of your signed Deed Poll, to the DVLA. You can pick up a D1 form from your local Post Office, or request one online through the government portal here.

Updating your driving licence with the DVLA is a free service and can be done in a few simple steps. Before you can apply for the change however, you need to request your Deed Poll, which you can do with Vital Certificates online in under 10 minutes!

Read on to find out how you can make the change, what you need to do afterwards and find the answer to many common questions.

deed poll dvla name change

Change your name in 3 simple steps

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Request your Deed Poll certificate online

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Sign it together with your 2 witnesses

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Use your Deed Poll to update your driving licence

You can have your Deed Poll application completed in under 10 minutes. Our specialists will check over your details and prepare, bind and seal your Deed Poll for you and post it out to you. Once you receive your Deed in the post, you can then send it to the DVLA with a completed D1 form, which you can pick up from your local post office.

Who can change their name with a Deed Poll?

Firstly, you need to make sure you meet certain requirements in order to change your name:

  • You're an individual aged 16 or over
  • You're a British citizen
  • You're resident in England or Wales
  • You're of sound mind to make the decision of changing your name

If you have just got married, or divorced, and you have your marriage certificate or Decree Absolute, you can use these to update your name on your passport instead of a Deed Poll. This is providing you are using your new name as it's written on your certificate, and not double-barelling or using a different name other than your married/maiden name.

If you're not a British National, but you're a British Citizen living in the UK, you may still be able to apply for a UK Deed Poll. You will need to contact the Embassy of your native country to ensure they will accept a UK-issued Deed Poll to update any official ID, such as a non-UK passport, through them.

Change your name for just

£25.00

+VAT and delivery

Who will accept my deed poll?

We guarantee 100% acceptance for any Deed Poll issued by Vital Certificates, provided it's been completed and witnessed correctly once you receive it. This includes the DVLA, insurers, HM Passport Office, employers, utility companies, banks, education institutions and anywhere else you need to update your details. We provide an easy-to-follow guide with every Deed Poll order to help you complete the document correctly and if you still need support, our team is always here to help.

What our customers say

Will the DVLA accept an unenrolled Deed Poll?

Yes, they will. It's not necessary to have your Deed Poll enrolled in order to update your driving licence, your passport or any other official ID. Having an unenrolled Deed Poll is sufficient to make all of these changes, and any Deed issued by Vital Certificates is guaranteed to be accepted for these purpos

Who can witness a Deed Poll?

You will need to have 2 witnesses present with you when you're signing your Deed Poll, who will need to counter-sign with you. These witnesses much meet the following criteria:

  • be over 18 years old
  • know who you are
  • not be a relative or someone you live with
  • a resident of England or Wales

As long as your witnesses meet these requirements, you're good to go. You don't have to have known them for any set period of time; the common misunderstanding that you need to have known them for at least 10 years isn't true!

More Frequently Asked Questions

This section is designed to answer questions you may have about UK Adult Deed Polls. If there is anything you are unsure of, please feel free to call a member of our sales team on +44 (0) 330 088 1142, or use our live chat function. We will be more than happy to help.

  • Once you've applied for your Deed Poll, we'll post it out within 3 working days. If you need it urgently, we have a 1 working day dispatch service, too. If you need extra stages for your Deed Poll, such as an Apostille if you're presenting it overseas, this will require additional time.

  • Some companies may supply digital Deed Polls, but we don't feel these hold any real value. When you're presenting your Deed to a company or government department, they will expect to see an official looking document which has been professionally drafted and bound. Having a hard copy posted out to you for you to sign ensures that we can guarantee your Deed will be accepted, provided you follow the guidance notes we provide on having it witnessed.

  • Unfortunatley, no. If you're sending your Deed Poll to make a change of details to your ID or an account with a company, you'll always need to provide an original with a "wet signature". Photocopies won't be accepted, so we recommend getting a few copies of your Deed. This will help safeguard against your only cpoy getting lost or damaged in the post, and allow you to update things quicker by sending out several requests at once.

  • Titles, officially known as "honorifics", are not a legal part of your name. If you are a Miss or Mrs, but would prefer to be known as "Ms", you do not need any documentation to make this change. You can simply choose your title by usage.

  • If you would like to change your name to more accurately reflect your gender, you can do so with a Deed Poll. Bear in mind however, that your official ID will still display your legally recognised gender until you obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate which you can find out more about here. To read more about Non-Binary and Transgender name changes, read more here.

    In the UK, the government currently only recognises two genders. You are still able to change your name as you choose, and can adopt a gender-neutral title such as "Mx." if you wish. More companies are starting to recognise additional genders and making accommodations in their forms and paperwork processes.

  • Although there are no offical laws in the UK on the use of names, there are regulations enforced by individual government departments. For example, HM Passport Office have their own guidelines on the acceptance of names and if your application doesn't meet these, it will be rejected. Things to generally avoid when changing your name could include:

    • A registered trademark such as Coca Cola
    • Anything deemed offensive
    • A name which is unpronounceable
    • Contains numbers or special characters
    • Includes anything which could be deemed misleading such as Lord, Duke, Prince
    • Is extremely long
    • Only includes a single name
    • Gives the impression you have honours such as MBE, OBE
  • An Apostille is a government-issued verification applied to documents that are going to be used outside of the UK. If you have your UK-issued Deed Poll and are using it overseas for official purposes, such as applying for a Passport or Citizenship, you will likely need this service; if you're only going to be using your document within the UK, this won't be necessary.

    Bear in mind that an Apostille is only recognised as full legalisation in other Hague Member states, including the USA, Australia and most of Europe. If you're using it outside the Hague zone, additional steps will be required. To find out more about this, see our Apostille page.

  • Yes, but you will likely need to complete several other stages before it will be recognised outside of the UK. If for example you're getting married overseas and need to provide your personal documents, the Deed Poll will need to be legally recognised by the authorities in the country.

    To make this possible, you will need to legalise, also known as "attest" your Deed. The process itself will differ, depedent on where you're getting married, and you may also require a translation. For more information, get in touch with our friendly team of specialists who can advise on legalising and translating your Deed for use in over 150 countries.

  • Of course. If you're presenting the document overseas and need it to be translated from English to another language, we can help. When you've added the Deed Poll to your basket, simply add your preferred service to your order too from the translation section. We will then produce your Deed for you and then have a translation made.

    Bear in mind that even if you request several additional copies of your Deed, each translation is charged per document, therefore you will only receive one translated copy.

  • Some companies may supply digital Deed Polls, but we don't feel these hold any real value. When you're presenting your Deed to a company or government department, they will expect to see an official looking document which has been professionally drafted and bound. Having a hard copy posted out to you for you to sign ensures that we can guarantee your Deed will be accepted, provided you follow the guidance notes we provide on having it witnessed.

Why choose Vital Certificates?

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100% Acceptance Guarantee

We guarantee your Deed Poll will be accepted by the DVLA.

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Professionally Prepared

Bound and sealed on high quality stock by our specialists.

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Fast Certificate Preparation

We check and prepare your Deed quickly, before posting it out to you.

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Ongoing Support

We email you a easy to follow guide when you place your order on how to use your Deed Poll.

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Knowledgable Staff

Our team were established in 2006 and have years of experience in document preparation.

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Easy Ordering

Fast and simple ordering process; request your Deed Poll in as little as 10 minutes!

Still got questions?

You can either get in touch with our friendly team of specialists who will be able to assist you, or you can read our comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions. Whatever you need, we're here to help!

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If you're not sure whether you need a Deed Poll, or want to know more about the process, read our FAQs.

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If you still have questions and you'd rather speak to a real person, we get it. Our friendly team is here to help today.

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