Lost deed poll

We are often contacted by individuals who have changed their name in the past by deed poll or statutory declaration but have since lost the documentary evidence to prove the change of name. This is most common in cases where the subject of the name change was a child at the time which means that their parents would have had custody of the name change documents and in the time between the name change and the present date, they have been lost due to moving house, etc. Due to the fact that there are no central registers for either deed polls or statutory declarations, it is incredibly hard, if not impossible to get a copy of your original name change document. In the vast majority of cases, the only way to obtain evidence of your past name change is to either apply for a new deed poll or have a new statutory declaration drawn up by a solicitor.

How to get a copy of your lost deed poll

Please note: This section applies to people who have had their name legally changed by deed poll only.

Deed polls not issued by UK Deed Poll Office

If your deed poll was not issued by the UK Deed Poll Office, your best bet for obtaining a copy of your deed poll is to speak with the person or organisation which prepared your original document. There is a possibility, though small, that the person or organisation will still have a copy of your deed poll and you can then use that to prove that your name was changed in the past.

There is also a possibility, though smaller than the likelihood that the person which originally prepared your deed poll still holds a copy, that your deed poll was enrolled in the Enrolment Books of the Supreme Court of Judicature. If your deed poll was enrolled, you will be able to obtain a copy by going to the Royal Courts of Justice in London, or, if the document was enrolled more than five years ago, at the National Archives in Surrey.

NOTE: Unless you paid a substantial fee (around £180), your deed poll will not have been enrolled at the Supreme Court of Judicature.

If you are unable to obtain a copy from either the person who originally prepared your deed poll or from the Royal Courts of Justice / National Archives you have no choice but to apply for a new deed poll as if you were only just changing your name.

When making your application for a deed poll to replace a lost document, you should enter your OLD name in the CURRENT name sections and your CURRENT name in the NEW name sections. If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us using our live chat service.

Deed polls which were issued by us

If your deed poll was originally issued by the UK Deed Poll Office we can issue a replacement from our archive. The fee for this service is £10.00. If you would like to obtain a copy of your deed poll from us please call our helpline on 604 757 1028.

How to get a copy of a statutory declaration

As a general rule statutory declarations are prepared by a law firm and must be notarised by a solicitor or Magistrates Court clerk in order to be legally binding so unless you had multiple copies of your statutory declaration notarised at the time of your name change, there will be no copy for you to obtain. Therefore the only option available to you is to have another statutory declaration drawn up and notarised in order to prove your name change.

Having said that, rather than paying for another statutory declaration, you can instead apply for a deed poll to act as your documentary evidence of a past name change. Applying for a deed poll from the UK Deed Poll Office will usually work out cheaper than having a law firm draw up a statutory declaration and then having it notarised and deed polls are a much more widely accepted method of changing your name.

If you decide to apply for a deed poll rather than having a replacement statutory declaration created, you must ensure that you enter your OLD name in the CURRENT name sections and your CURRENT name in the NEW name sections of the application form.