LOC021 Form: How to Enrol Your Adult Deed Poll

At a glance

• What it is: A sworn written statement (statutory declaration) required as part of the official application to enrol an adult deed poll in the Senior Courts of England and Wales
• Form number: LOC021 — issued by HMCTS as part of the online or postal enrolment application
• When you need it: Only for enrolled deed polls — not required for an unenrolled deed poll, which is the route most adults take
• Who witnesses it: A solicitor or other authorised witness (commissioner for oaths, notary public, or authorised court officer) — never a family member
• Current enrolment fee: £53.05 (correct as at January 2025, per GOV.UK — verify before applying)
• Criminal offence for false statements: Section 5 of the Perjury Act 1911 — up to two years' imprisonment
• Governing regulations: Enrolment of Deeds (Change of Name) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994/604)
• Where to send completed forms: Deed Poll Office, King's Bench Division, Room E15, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL

This page covers England and Wales only. Scotland has a separate registration system administered by National Records of Scotland.

This guide provides general legal information, not legal advice. Every situation is different. If you are unsure whether this process applies to you, consider taking independent advice.

What LOC021 is and why it exists

Form LOC021 is a statutory declaration — a sworn written statement made under the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. In the context of deed poll enrolment, it is the document in which you formally declare, under oath, that you have adopted a new name and are using it for all purposes.

The form sits alongside two others in the enrolled-deed application: the LOC020 (the deed poll itself) and the LOC027 (an exhibit cover sheet). All three must be completed and posted to the Deed Poll Office at the Royal Courts of Justice before an application is reviewed.

HMCTS does not expect you to draft LOC021 yourself. When you start an online enrolment application via the GOV.UK service, the Deed Poll Office emails you all three forms once it has reviewed your initial submission. You print, complete, and sign them — then post the full set.

Enrolled vs unenrolled — which route applies to you?

Most adults changing their name do not need to enrol anything. A properly executed unenrolled deed poll — signed in front of two independent witnesses — is sufficient for the large majority of organisations, including HM Passport Office and the DVLA.

Enrolment puts your name change on public record through The Gazette. It is available to adults aged 18 or over. It costs £53.05 (as at January 2025) and can take several weeks.

You would typically consider enrolment if a specific organisation has told you it will only accept an enrolled deed poll, or if you have a personal reason for wanting a permanent public record of the change. It is not a legal requirement.

If you are making an unenrolled deed poll, you do not need LOC021. See the Change of Name Deed (Form LOC020) guide for that route.

What you declare in LOC021

The declaration records:

1. Your full former name
2. Your full new name
3. The date on which you adopted the new name
4. A sworn statement that you have wholly abandoned your former name and are using the new name for all purposes

Because the form is prescribed, the wording is fixed. You confirm on oath that the contents are true — this is what makes it a statutory declaration rather than a simple signed statement.

The criminal offence for a false statement

Making a false statement in a statutory declaration is a serious criminal matter.

The Statutory Declarations Act 1835 establishes the legal basis and form of statutory declarations. The criminal offence for making a false statement within one comes from section 5 of the Perjury Act 1911.

Section 5 provides that any person who knowingly and wilfully makes a statement that is false in a material particular in a statutory declaration commits a misdemeanour. The maximum penalty on conviction on indictment is two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.

The operative word is "knowingly" — an honest mistake, for example a clerical error in a date, is not an offence. If you notice an error after swearing the declaration, the correct approach is to prepare a fresh declaration and swear it again. Do not attempt to amend a sworn document.

Who can witness LOC021

LOC021 must be signed in front of a solicitor or other authorised witness. The GOV.UK enrolment guidance states this explicitly; the same requirement applies to the LOC027 form. The LOC020, by contrast, requires two ordinary witnesses who do not need to hold any professional qualification.

An authorised witness for LOC021 is:

• a solicitor with a current practising certificate
• a commissioner for oaths
• a notary public
• an authorised officer of the court

The witness must be independent. They cannot be a family member or someone with any interest in the name change. Their role is to confirm that you signed the document in their presence and that you appeared to understand what you were declaring.

The witness will also sign the form and record their name, address, and professional details. Most charge a fee for this service — the amount varies between providers, so ask in advance.

Step-by-step: the enrolment process

1. Start your application via the GOV.UK online service or by downloading the postal forms.
2. Wait for HMCTS to send you the forms — if applying online, the Deed Poll Office emails you LOC020, LOC021, and LOC027 after reviewing your initial submission.
3. Sign LOC020 in front of two ordinary witnesses — each witness must sign the form as well. This step has different requirements from LOC021.
4. Book an appointment with an authorised witness — a solicitor, commissioner for oaths, or notary public.
5. Sign LOC021 and LOC027 in front of your authorised witness at the appointment. The witness signs and adds their details.
6. Post the complete set to: Deed Poll Office, King's Bench Division, Room E15, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL.
7. Pay the £53.05 fee — by debit or credit card (call 020 3936 8957, select option 1), or by postal order or cheque made payable to 'HM Courts and Tribunals Service'.

The order of steps matters. You cannot sign LOC021 before you have the prescribed form from HMCTS, and both LOC021 and LOC027 must be witnessed by an authorised person at the same session.

Worked example

The following scenario uses a fictional name and is for illustration only.

Sarah Emma Johnson wants a permanent public record of her decision to change her surname to Clarke. She applies online via GOV.UK.

HMCTS emails her the three forms. She reads each one carefully before her appointment.

At the appointment with a local commissioner for oaths, she signs LOC021 in front of the commissioner. The form records her former name (Sarah Emma Johnson), her new name (Sarah Emma Clarke), the date she began using Clarke, and her sworn confirmation that she has wholly abandoned Johnson for all purposes. The commissioner witnesses her signature, adds their professional details, and signs.

Sarah signs LOC027 at the same appointment. She had already signed LOC020 in front of two independent friends the day before.

She posts all three forms to the Deed Poll Office. Several weeks later, the sealed deed arrives by post. A Gazette notice is published. She uses the sealed deed to update her passport, DVLA record, bank accounts, and employer records.

Two things many guides get wrong

1. The criminal offence is not in the Statutory Declarations Act 1835.

The 1835 Act gives statutory declarations their legal form and authority — it does not create a criminal offence. The offence for knowingly making a false statement in a statutory declaration is in section 5 of the Perjury Act 1911, carrying up to two years' imprisonment. If you see guidance elsewhere that attributes the offence to the 1835 Act, it is inaccurate.

2. Enrolment is not a legal requirement.

Many people assume they must go through the courts to change their name. They do not. At common law, a person can change their name simply by consistent use — a deed poll is evidence of that change, not the mechanism of it. The Enrolment of Deeds (Change of Name) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994/604) govern how enrolment works for those who choose it, but they do not make enrolment compulsory.

After the declaration is sworn

Once you have posted the complete set of forms and paid the fee, the application moves to HMCTS for review. Processing takes several weeks. You can ask the Deed Poll Office for an update 16 weeks after submitting:

• Telephone: 020 3936 8957, select option 6
• Email: kbdeedspoll@justice.gov.uk
• Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

Once approved, the sealed deed is posted to you. Keep the original safe — HM Passport Office, the DVLA, HMRC, and banks will ask to see it when you update your records. Some bodies want to inspect the original before making changes; others accept certified copies. Send by tracked post if posting the original, and always ask for it to be returned.

A notice of your name change will also appear in The Gazette, which is publicly searchable. If you have a genuine reason for your details not to be published — for example, a safety concern — you must explain this in your application and a judge will decide.

Get help

• GOV.UK guidance: Change your name by deed poll
• Start the enrolment application: GOV.UK online service
• Find a solicitor or commissioner for oaths: The Law Society find-a-solicitor service
• Help using the online service: We Are Group — telephone 03300 160 051 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or text FORM to 60777
• Citizens Advice provides free, independent guidance on name-change processes

If your circumstances are more complex — for example, you are a registered offender (who must tell the police within three days of any name change), your supporting documents are not in English or Welsh, or you have a gender recognition situation — consider consulting a regulated solicitor who can advise on your specific case.

Reviewed: June 2026. Next review due: June 2027 or on any change to the GOV.UK enrolment guidance, the enrolment fee, or the Perjury Act 1911 s.5 penalty regime.