Enrolled and unenrolled deed polls

There are two types of deed poll: enrolled and unenrolled. An unenrolled deed poll is the standard document, and it is what almost everyone uses.

If you've seen the term enrolled deed poll and wondered whether you need one, you almost certainly don't. Enrolment is an optional court process, and an unenrolled deed poll is fully valid in London without it.

What an unenrolled deed poll is

An unenrolled deed poll is a private legal document. It is not registered with any court or government body, because no registration is needed for it to be legally binding.

Once signed and witnessed, it is accepted as proof of your name change throughout the United Kingdom, including by HM Passport Office, the DVLA, HMRC, banks and employers.

Your name change also stays private. Your details are not entered on any public record or searchable register. You inform the organisations that hold your records, and nobody else.

What enrolment is

Enrolment means registering a deed poll with the Royal Courts of Justice in London. It is a process within the court system of England and Wales.

When a deed poll is enrolled, the name change becomes part of the public record. Your old name, your new name and the date of the change can be viewed by anyone who requests them. Enrolment also adds cost and takes considerably longer.

Enrolment does not make a deed poll more legally valid. An enrolled and an unenrolled deed poll have identical legal effect.

You don't need an enrolled deed poll in London

Enrolment is available in London, but it is optional. An unenrolled deed poll is the standard way to change your name here, accepted by every organisation.

Most people never enrol their deed poll. Your unenrolled deed poll carries full legal validity in the United Kingdom.

For more information, see our guide to changing your name by deed poll in London.