Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how a non-enrolled deed poll change is verified and by whom.

All changes of name made by unenrolled deed must be executed following the stipulated requirements of a formal deed in order to be legally valid. This includes being signed in the presence of an independent witness who must then attest the signature to verify the person’s intent. In most cases, no further authentication of the deed is necessary for it to take legal effect.

There are, however, circumstances in which change of name deeds are subject to greater scrutiny. Persons with any existing or pending criminal proceedings against them, on licence or under probation, or on the Sex Offender’s Register, are obliged to notify relevant authorities of any name change within the timeframe prescribed by law for them to do so. Failure to comply with these measures can result in a criminal conviction and prison sentence.