Who can be a witness

Your deed poll must be signed in front of 2 witnesses to be legally binding. Once you and your witnesses have signed, your name is changed.

This article explains how to sign your deed poll correctly, who can witness it, and what happens after.

When to sign

Sign your deed poll as soon as you receive it. Your name is legally changed the moment the signing is complete.

Your witnesses

You need 2 witnesses. They must:

• Be 18 or over
• Know you personally
• Not be related to you
• Not live at your address
• Be present when you sign
• Friends, neighbours and work colleagues are all suitable.

What witnesses do

Your witnesses watch you sign, then sign the document themselves. Each witness provides:

• Their signature
• Their full name
• Their full address, including postcode

Witnesses are confirming that they saw you sign. They are not vouching for your identity or approving your name change.

After signing

Once you and both witnesses have signed, your name is legally changed. There is nothing further to submit and nothing to register.

You can now use your deed poll to update your name with government departments, banks, your employer, healthcare providers and other organisations. See our full list of who to inform when you change your name.

Keep your deed poll safe. Organisations will ask to see the original document when updating your name.