A child’s legal name can easily be changed by Deed Poll providing everyone with parental responsibility (PR) for the child consents to the name change.
Parental responsibility is a legal term; it means that you are responsible for, and have the right to be consulted about, the child’s health, education, religion and welfare. To change a child’s name, those with parental responsibility must consent to the name change.
In the United Kingdom, the mother always has PR, the father will also have PR if:
- England & Wales: Married to the mother at birth, or named on the birth certificate from 1st December 2003.
- Northern Ireland: Married to the mother at birth, or named on the birth certificate from 15th April 2002.
- Scotland: Married to the mother at any time after birth, or named on the birth certificate from 4th May 2006.
No Authority (such as the Passport Office, School, GP surgery, etc.) would allow a child to be known by another name without satisfying themselves that everyone with parental responsibility has consented to the name change. For more information regarding PR, please refer to the UK Government website.
PLEASE NOTE: If both parents have parental responsibility, but consent from one parent i.e. the mother or father cannot be obtained, unfortunately Baraka UK Deed Poll cannot issue a Deed Poll for this child. In this case, the parent who wish to change the name of his/her child can decide to apply for a Specific Issue Court Order. If you want to instruct a lawyer, you can find a Solicitor accredited by the Law Society.
READY TO CHANGE YOUR CHILD’S NAME?
Ready to take the next step? Contact us today to start your Deed Poll process, and we’ll guide you through every step to make it as seamless as possible.
Aisha Barbara Farina, MCIL, Chartered Linguist, Paralegal
Project Manager
Baraka UK Deed Poll is a branch of Baraka Certified Translations & Services, based in Leicester since 2011. Baraka UK Deed Poll will store a Digital Copy of your Deed Poll in our secure database for five year, just in case you need to order further legal copies of your Deed Poll at a later date (i.e. you lose your documentation). You have the right to request a copy of the personal data that we hold about you, or to request the deletion of your personal data whenever you wish, as per our Terms and Conditions. We are fully GDPR compliant. Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Ref. No.: A1091340
