What documents do I need to change my name on an account?

Changing your name on a bank or building society account almost always means showing the firm a document that proves the change. Which document depends on why your name changed. For marriage or a civil partnership, it is usually the certificate. For divorce or the end of a civil partnership, it is often the decree absolute or final dissolution order, sometimes alongside your marriage certificate or birth certificate. For any other change, it is usually a deed poll or a statutory declaration.

The document is only half of it. Banks also want to be satisfied that the person asking is the account holder, so they may ask for photo ID in the new name, a signature, or both. Some accept a copy, some want a certified copy, and some ask for the original. Requirements differ between banks, building societies and investment platforms, and there is no single rule that covers all of them.

This page sets out the documents each type of name change usually needs, how to send them safely, and what to do when the name on the account was wrong from the start.

The documents most banks accept as proof of a new name

Most banks work from a short list. Yorkshire Building Society asks for one document from a list that includes a marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate, driving licence, passport, enrolled deed poll, an unenrolled deed poll with a driving licence or passport showing the new name, or a statutory declaration of change of name signed by a solicitor or notary⁸. Accord Mortgages uses a near-identical list, adding a current British armed forces ID card⁹.

Chorley Building Society keeps a "List D" for change of name that covers a marriage or civil partnership certificate, an official deed poll, a decree absolute, a statutory declaration, a dissolution order, and a birth certificate showing a change of name¹⁰. Ulster Bank's list is shorter: marriage certificate, deed poll, civil partnership certificate, or divorce decree absolute³.

The pattern is that a certificate or court order does the work, and photo ID supports it. Where the documents you already hold do not match your current name, Bank of Ireland UK says it will need certified proof of the change, such as a marriage certificate or deed poll letter¹¹.

If you are opening a new account rather than changing an existing one, the same identity rules apply from the start. MoneyHelper says you will need to show proof of who you are and your address, and that if you do not have the right documents you can ask the bank what it will accept instead¹². Citizens Advice says you usually have to show two separate documents proving who you are and where you live, or a letter from a responsible person such as a GP, teacher, social worker or probation officer¹³.

Marriage or civil partnership: using your certificate

For most people this is the simplest change. Halifax asks for your marriage certificate or your civil partnership registration document¹. HSBC UK asks for a marriage certificate, and adds that if the certificate is online, another document in your new name is needed as well¹⁴. Zempler Bank asks for a copy of your marriage certificate for a change of last name after marriage¹⁵.

Investment platforms follow the same idea. AJ Bell asks for a copy of your marriage certificate if you changed your name on marriage, and for a copy of your civil partnership certificate plus a certified group A or group B document if you entered a civil partnership¹⁶. Vanguard Investor lists a marriage certificate as the proof needed where the reason for the change is marriage⁵.

Mortgage lenders are similar. Lloyds Bank says it needs documents as proof of the name change, such as a marriage certificate or a change of name deed¹⁷. Santander asks for a copy of your new and old signature plus one of a marriage certificate, decree absolute, birth certificate, change of name deed or civil partnership certificate¹⁸.

The practical point is that a marriage or civil partnership certificate is widely accepted, but it is not always enough on its own. Where a bank also wants photo ID in the new name, that means updating your passport or driving licence first, which is a separate process from the bank's.

Divorce or ending a civil partnership: decree absolute and other proof

Going back to a former name after a divorce or dissolution usually needs the court document that ended the marriage or civil partnership. Gatehouse Bank lists a decree absolute showing the name among the documents it accepts for a name change on a savings account⁴. Ulster Bank lists a divorce decree absolute as proof of a name change³. Vanguard Investor lists a decree absolute as the proof needed where the reason for the change is divorce⁵.

Some providers want more than one document. AJ Bell says that if you have divorced and changed your name, it needs a copy of your marriage certificate along with a certified copy of either your deed poll or decree absolute¹⁶. Lloyds Bank says that to change your name after a divorce it needs your divorce papers or decree absolute and marriage certificate, plus one of an enrolled deed poll (not available in Scotland), an unenrolled deed poll (only with a valid driving licence or UK or EU passport in the new name), a birth certificate, or a copy of the entry in the Register of Corrections (Scotland only)⁶.

That Scotland note matters. Two of the documents Lloyds Bank accepts for a change of name after divorce are only available in Scotland: the Register of Corrections entry and, for other name changes, an amended birth certificate issued by the Registrar General in Edinburgh⁶. If you live elsewhere in the UK, those routes are not open to you.

Where a pension is involved, the paperwork can be heavier. Advicenow says that substituting a pension for a former spouse requires a certified copy of your final divorce order and both National Insurance numbers¹⁹.

Deed poll or statutory declaration for any other name change

If your name changed for a reason other than marriage, civil partnership, divorce or dissolution, the document is usually a deed poll or a statutory declaration. HTB lists a deed poll or statutory declaration, and notes that a deed poll will need to be registered using the official forms at gov.uk². Gatehouse Bank lists a copy of a deed poll or statutory declaration⁴. Barclays asks for a certified copy of a legal document confirming the name change, such as a marriage certificate or a deed poll form²⁰.

Zempler Bank is more specific for a change of first or last name: it asks for a copy of your enrolled deed poll certificate and a document proving your identity in your new name, such as a UK passport or UK driving licence¹⁵. The distinction between an enrolled and an unenrolled deed poll runs through several banks' lists. Yorkshire Building Society accepts an enrolled deed poll on its own, but an unenrolled deed poll only alongside a driving licence or passport showing the new name⁸. Accord Mortgages applies the same rule⁹.

A statutory declaration is a written statement signed in front of a solicitor or notary. Yorkshire Building Society and Accord Mortgages both specify that the statutory declaration of change of name must be signed by a solicitor or notary⁸.

Signatures and photo ID: what else you may be asked for

A certificate or deed poll proves the change. It does not always prove that the person sending it is the account holder, so banks layer on identity checks.

Santander asks for a copy of your new and old signature as well as one supporting document¹⁸. NS&I will not disclose or change personal information without the account holder's signature, and asks for a letter showing your previous name and previous signature and your new name and new signature²¹. NS&I also says that changing your name is a matter of sending a letter with your signature²².

Photo ID turns up in two different roles. The first is as proof of identity in the new name: Vanguard Investor asks for a government-issued photo ID showing the new name, such as a passport or driving licence, where the change is correcting a mistake made when the account was opened⁵. The second is as a general identity check. Government services that verify identity when you sign in normally involve photo ID such as a passport or driving licence²³. FSCS gives a passport or valid GB driving licence, a bank statement or a utility bill as examples of extra documents it may ask for when someone claims²⁵.

Where someone else is managing the account, the paperwork grows again. The government's guidance for deputies and attorneys says a bank will want proof of your name and address, evidence of your authority to act for the account holder, and proof of the account holder's name and address if the bank does not already hold it²⁶.

Certified copies or originals: how to send your documents

This is where banks differ most, and where things go missing. Some accept a copy, some want a certified copy, and some want the original.

If you do have to post originals, the advice is consistent: keep copies and use recorded delivery⁷. Where a public body asks for documents, you can sometimes ask it to copy them and hand the originals back. Shelter's guidance on housing benefit delays says to ask them to make copies of your original documents and leave you with the originals²⁸.

Correcting a name that was wrong when the account was opened

A misspelt name is a correction, not a change of name, but you still have to prove the correct spelling. Vanguard Investor treats a mistake made when opening the account as its own category and asks for a government-issued photo ID showing the new name, such as a passport or driving licence⁵.

The reason the correction matters beyond the account itself is the credit file. A statutory credit report request asks for your full name, any other names you have used or been known by in the last six years, such as a maiden name, your full address including postcode, any other addresses in the last six years, and your date of birth²⁹. If a lender has your name wrong, that is the record to correct.

The same principle applies to tracing old money. NS&I's tracing service asks for your full name and current address, your address at the time you invested and any other previous addresses, your previous name if it changed, the approximate date and year the account was opened, the approximate amount invested, and any other relevant information, with the letter signed and dated³⁰.

How requirements differ between banks, building societies and investment platforms

Banks and building societies tend to work from a document list and a branch or postal process. Building societies often publish their lists openly: Yorkshire Building Society and Accord Mortgages both set out exactly which single document will do, and both treat divorce or the end of a civil partnership as needing two pieces of ID rather than one⁸. Chorley Building Society's List D is a similar published list¹⁰.

Investment platforms lean towards uploads. Vanguard Investor asks you to upload a document as proof of the change to your online account and then send a secure message asking for the update⁵. AJ Bell asks for copies of certificates, with a certified group A or group B document where a civil partnership is involved¹⁶.

NS&I sits between the two. Registered customers can change some details online, but a name change needs a letter with your signature²¹. Premium Bonds holders who need to change a name, or who want to use the post, download and send a paper form²¹. If you are not registered, or hold an Investment Account, you complete a form and post it³¹.

Where the account is a mortgage rather than a current account, the lender still needs the same proof. Lloyds Bank's mortgage guidance asks for documents such as a marriage certificate or change of name deed¹⁷. Bank of Ireland UK's mortgage guidance says that if the documents do not match the current name, it needs certified proof of the change¹¹.

If you are changing your name across several accounts at once, it helps to work from the strictest list first, since a document that satisfies a bank asking for originals will also satisfy one that accepts copies. Our guide to changing your name on bank and financial accounts covers the wider process, and certified copies: who can certify documents for a bank or lender explains who can sign a certified copy if your bank asks for one.