Apostille for Deed Polls

If you have a Deed Poll and need to present this outside of the UK you may be asked to obtain an apostille for the document.

What is a Deed Poll?

Deed Polls are legal documents recording a person’s change of name. They are often called Name Change Deed Polls.

The person changing their name makes a formal statement confirming their new name and renouncing the use of their previous name. For example, Susan Smith may be formally changing her name to Susan Jones and will use the new name of Susan Jones at all times.

When is a Deed Poll needed overseas?

Proof of a legal name change may be required in many circumstances. The Deed Poll may need legalising with an apostille before it will be accepted. The following list is just a few common reasons people use to legalise a Deed Poll for use outside of the UK–

• Marriage abroad
• Opening a bank account in another country
• Applying for a visa
• Studying overseas

How to get an apostille for a Deed Poll?

For a Deed Poll to be issued with an apostille it must first be signed by a solicitor or notary. The problem here is that most Deed Polls are not normally solicitor signed and witnessed at the time of creation. People tend to use someone they know.

If your Deed Poll was prepared and witnessed by a solicitor or notary then we can add the apostille without any further certification.

Certifying a Deed Poll

If the document has not yet been certified by a UK solicitor or notary public we can arrange for a copy of the document, once we have received the original, to be solicitor certified and issued with the apostille. Our solicitor will make a copy of the Deed Poll and certify it as a true copy. The apostille is then added to the copy. You can order the Solicitor certification and apostille service online.

If you must have your ‘original’ Deed Poll legalised with the apostille you will need to use your own solicitor. Locate a local solicitor and either resign a new Deed Poll with the solicitor as a witness or ask them to check your ID and to certify the original document. They may use the phrase ‘certified to be an original Deed Poll’, or something similar.

Our solicitors are only able to certify copies of Deed Polls. They cannot sign your Deed Poll as a witness or confirm it is original.

If you need any assistance getting an apostille for a Deed Poll, do not hesitate to contact us.