Changing your name in Scotland

You change your name in Scotland the same way as anywhere else in the UK: with a deed poll. It is a signed declaration, witnessed by two independent adults, that you have stopped using your old name and taken a new one. Banks, HM Passport Office, DVLA and HMRC all accept it. Scotland adds one option England and Wales do not have. If you were born or adopted in Scotland, you can also pay National Records of Scotland £40 to record the change on your birth entry. That step is optional and separate from the deed poll. You will not need it to update your passport, licence or bank. Here is how to decide.

A deed poll works in Scotland

There is no Scottish deed poll and no English one. A deed poll is a legal document that proves a change of name, and it is recognised across the UK. Ours is an unenrolled deed poll: you sign it in front of two independent witnesses aged 18 or over, and from that moment your new name is the one every organisation should use.

You can change any part of your name. Add a middle name, drop one, fix the spelling, take a new surname. The new name has to be pronounceable, free of numbers and symbols, and not offensive. A deed poll cannot change a title such as Mr or Dr.

If you are 16 or over, you apply for the adult deed poll yourself. It costs £22.50. Applications received before 3pm Monday to Friday are prepared the same day and posted within two working days by First Class Post. If any organisation refuses to accept it, you get your money back, subject to our terms.

What a deed poll does not do is change your birth certificate. In England and Wales, nothing can. In Scotland, something can.

Recording the change with National Records of Scotland

National Records of Scotland (NRS) runs a service that updates your birth or adoption entry. Once the change is recorded, any new copy of your birth certificate shows your new name, with your previous name shown separately. This is the one part of a Scottish name change that differs from England and Wales.

• You qualify if you were born or adopted in Scotland.
• It costs £40. If a family applies together, each additional person is £10.
• You apply by post. NRS does not take online applications. The form is signed by hand and sent to the Change of Name Team at New Register House in Edinburgh.
• NRS aims to email you within 20 days of receiving the form to confirm the details and ask for payment. After you pay, it aims to confirm the change within 15 working days.
• A replacement birth certificate is not sent automatically. NRS explains how to order one once the change is complete.

The limits are strict. From age 16, you can have one forename change recorded in your lifetime. Surname changes are capped at three, with at least five years between each. For a child under 16 it is one forename change and one surname change. Every recorded change sits on a public register.

So the NRS record is a decision, not a formality. The deed poll already does everything the bank, the passport office and DVLA ask for, so the record is not something you need. It is something you may want. Record it if you want your birth certificate to match your name, or if you expect to need a birth certificate in the new name later in life.

The two are independent. You do not need the NRS record to get a deed poll, and you do not need a deed poll to apply to NRS.

Living in Scotland but born elsewhere

If you were born in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or outside the UK, the NRS service is not open to you. NRS says so itself, and points you to a deed poll or a statutory declaration instead.

In practice that means a deed poll. It is faster, the same organisations accept it, and it does not depend on where you were born. Your birth certificate stays as it is, as it does for everyone born in England and Wales.

Changing a child’s name in Scotland

In Scotland, 16 is the age at which a young person applies in their own name. Below that, a child deed poll covers children aged 15 and under and costs £22.50. Everyone with parental responsibilities for the child should agree to the change before you apply.

If the child was born or adopted in Scotland and you also want the NRS record, the application is made by the person or people with parental responsibilities. Where both parents hold them, both apply. A child under 16 can have one forename change and one surname change recorded, so there is no second chance if the child later wants a different name.

For a baby under 12 months, NRS uses separate forms for a forename change and a surname change. From 12 months to under 16 there is a single under 16 form.

Married, divorced, or ending a civil partnership

You do not need a deed poll to take your spouse’s or civil partner’s surname. The marriage or civil partnership certificate is the evidence, and NRS says most organisations accept it. The same goes for going back to your previous surname after a divorce: the marriage certificate with the decree of divorce is usually enough.

A deed poll still helps in two cases. Some organisations will not change a name back after divorce without one. And if you want a name that is neither your spouse’s surname nor your old one, a double barrelled version for example, a deed poll is what proves it.

The NRS recording service does not cover any change caused by marriage, divorce or a civil partnership.

Who to tell, and in what order

Once the deed poll is signed and witnessed, the job is telling everyone. Start with the two that produce photo ID in your new name. Everything after that goes faster once you have it.

• HM Passport Office
• DVLA, for your driving licence
• HMRC
• Your bank and building society
• Your employer, so payroll and pension match HMRC
• Your GP and dentist
• Your local council, for Council Tax and the electoral register
• Utilities, mobile, broadband and insurance

If you would rather not write those letters yourself, the Name Change Kit costs £59.95 and includes the deed poll plus completed forms and letters for HM Passport Office, DVLA, HMRC, the electoral register, Council Tax, HM Land Registry and Companies House.

UK Deed Poll is not a government agency. We have issued over 900,000 deed polls in 13 years.

Common questions

Do I need to record my name change with National Records of Scotland?

No. Recording is optional. A deed poll on its own is accepted by banks, HM Passport Office, DVLA, HMRC and every other organisation you need to update. Record with NRS only if you want future copies of your birth certificate to show the new name, and only if you were born or adopted in Scotland.

Can I change my name in Scotland if I was born in England?

Yes. You use a deed poll, as you would anywhere in the UK. The one thing you cannot do is record the change with NRS, because that service is for Scottish births and adoptions only. Your English birth certificate stays as it is.

How many times can I change my name in Scotland?

By deed poll, there is no limit. The NRS record is different: one forename change in a lifetime from age 16, and up to three surname changes with at least five years between each. Under 16, it is one of each.

How long does a Scottish name change take?

The deed poll is the quick part. Order before 3pm on a weekday and it is prepared the same day and posted within two working days. The NRS record is slower: up to 20 days for NRS to respond to your form, then up to 15 working days after you pay.

Does a deed poll change my birth certificate?

No. A deed poll changes your name, not the record of your birth. If you were born or adopted in Scotland, the separate NRS service can update your birth entry for £40. If you were born in England or Wales, your birth certificate cannot be changed.

Ready to start? Apply for the adult deed poll now, or choose the Name Change Kit and let us prepare the letters as well.