Changing a Child’s Name
Parental consent requirements
The first step in legally changing a child’s name is to obtain consent from everyone with parental responsibility for the child. This means that you should have a letter signed by everyone with parental responsibility stating that they consent to the name change taking place.
When sending a child’s deed poll to organisations such as their school, doctor, bank and the passport service you will be required to prove that everyone with parental responsibility for the child has consented to the change of name before they will update their records. You can satisfy this requirement by presenting your letter of consent signed by everyone with parental responsibility for the child.
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The first step in legally changing a child’s name is to obtain consent from everyone with parental responsibility for the child. This means that you should have a letter
What is parental responsibility?
Parental responsibility is the legal term used to describe the collective rights and duties a parent has in relation to their child. It is defined under Section 3 of the Children Act
Who has parental responsibility for my child?
The answer to this question depends on a number of factors, including-
Can I change my child’s name without full parental consent?
As a rule you must have permission from everyone that has parental responsibility for a child in order to legally change the child’s
Can a birth certificate be updated?
As a general rule you can not get the name on a child’s birth certificate changed because a birth certificate is considered a historical document, not proof of identity, and therefore
Letters of consent examples and templates
Once you have executed a deed poll on your child’s behalf you must inform everyone
Need additional help or advice?
If you have any questions about changing a child’s name we can offer free help and advice. Just call 020 8150 2010, send an e-mail to enquiries@deedpolls.com.