ok i feel like i've asked this before but
does anyone have an extremely clear guide to changing your name on your passport in the UK
all the government site pages seem to go circularly and looking at all the forms is making me feel dizzy and idk what kind of solicitor i'm meant to contact to witness the deed poll or what counts as a close relative for that purpose
@bryn Do you already have a deed poll? If not, this is the one I used:
https://www.freedeedpoll.org.uk
No solicitor is required. It can't hurt, but it's absolutely not necessary - I didn't, and mine was accepted everywhere: banks, HMRC, local Elections Officer, etc.
I printed eight copies on thick parchment paper, giving it more of an "official" air, all signed by a couple old friends.
It's a change to an existing passport? If so, the "Table of supporting documents" (p.12 of the 2017 form) gives what's required, along with Table C, p.15, "one from List A, at least one from List B". I used a copy of the Elections Officer's letter (to get that, I sent them a high quality photo of my deed poll), and my change of name deed.
@bryn No problem! Indeed, it's actually quite easy - I sent the form, photos, and documents, and had my new passport in about a week, in Feb last year. ^_^
I don't know if an enrolled deed poll was once mandatory, but it definitely isn't now. Occasionally people encounter staff that want to be difficult (eg random front line bank staff), and may try insisting on such, but that seems fairly unusual. Even with the banks, it was just a matter of going along and asking for the change. (I may've had the new passport by then; that was one of the first things I did)
this is my old account
Shy bunny