- May 2013. I found the service online to be very helpful and very useful to help me complete the form. Thank You..
Ryan, Norwich, Norfolk.
How do you change your birth certificate?
This article will help you determine whether or not you can change the name on your (or your child's) birth certificate (through re-registration).
In reality there are few circumstances where the name on a birth certificate can be changed. This is because a birth certificate is an historical record, showing the name that was correct at the time the birth was registered.
This means that, in most circumstances, if you want to legally change a name from that on the birth certificate, you will need to apply for a Deed Poll. The Deed Poll can then be used to get all official documents and records changed to the new name.
In the future, whenever you are asked to prove your identity (for example when applying for a passport or bank account), simply produce your birth certificate along with your Deed Poll document. The new name shown on the Deed Poll overrides the name on the birth certificate but it doesn’t change the birth certificate itself.
So when might you be able to change the name on your (or your child’s) birth certificate?
As we said above, there are very few circumstances where this is permitted. However in exceptional cases you may be able to get a new birth certificate issued showing new or amended name details.
The rules vary throughout the United Kingdom as the sections below explain. But if you do manage to get the name changed on a birth certificate you won’t need a Deed Poll. Instead, the new birth certificate will be accepted by everyone as documentary evidence of the name change so you can get all official documents and records changed to the new name – for example, your passport, driving licence, bank accounts, medical, tax and National Insurance records, etc.
.....................................................
Sections in this article
Click on the links below to view each section of this article.
1. Births and adoptions registered in England or Wales
2. Births and adoptions registered in Scotland
3. For births and adoptions registered in Northern Ireland
This page was last checked today by Suzanne Blackwell, Senior Deed Poll Officer.
how to legally change your
(or your child's) name
