Form LOC025: Deed Poll Notice for the London Gazette

At a glance

• Most adults do not need this route. An unenrolled deed poll — signed and witnessed, no court involvement — is accepted by HM Passport Office, the DVLA, banks and most employers.
• Enrolment publishes your change of name. An enrolled deed poll is lodged with the King's Bench Division at the Royal Courts of Justice, and publication in The Gazette is a required step, not an add-on.
• Eligibility isn't automatic. You must be 18 or over and a Commonwealth citizen under the 1994 Regulations, and if you live outside the UK you must show your residence there isn't intended to be permanent. In practice this rarely affects UK-resident applicants — see "Who is actually eligible" below.
• Current forms: Form LOC020 (the deed), Form LOC021 (statutory declaration) and Form LOC027 (exhibit cover sheet) — apply online or by post. This differs from the old LOC020/LOC021/LOC025 bundle this page's title refers to; see "Is Form LOC025 still what I need?" below.
• Fee: £53.05 to enrol, covering both the court process and the Gazette notice (check GOV.UK for the current figure, as court fees are reviewed periodically).
• Timing: several weeks in total; GOV.UK says you can ask the Deed Poll Office for an update 16 weeks after you apply.
• Privacy: if you have a strong reason your address or full name shouldn't be published, you can explain this in your application — a judge may agree to publish only your first name or surname.
• Registered offenders: sex, violent and terrorist offenders must tell the police of a name change within 3 days; not doing so is a criminal offence. Parliament has passed tighter, sex-offender-specific rules under the Crime and Policing Act 2026, but they were not yet in force as at the date this guide was checked — see "Registered offenders" below.

What Form LOC025 covered, and where the Gazette notice fits today

Form LOC025 was HM Courts & Tribunals Service's standalone "Notice for the London Gazette on change of name for an adult" — the form this page is named after. On the current published guidance, the documents GOV.UK asks adult applicants to complete are Form LOC020 (the deed poll itself), Form LOC021 (a statutory declaration from someone who knows you) and Form LOC027 (a cover sheet for each supporting exhibit). LOC025 does not appear in that current list — and the old GOV.UK publication page that used to bundle LOC020, LOC021 and LOC025 together now redirects straight to the current guide, which is a reasonably strong signal that LOC025 has been retired from the live process rather than merely renumbered.

In practice, this means the Gazette notice is no longer something you draft yourself on a separate form. Regulation 7 of the 1994 Regulations requires that, once your deed poll is enrolled, it is advertised in The Gazette by the clerk in charge of the court's Filing and Record Department — historically the Central Office of the Supreme Court, now folded into the King's Bench Division of the High Court. The notice is generated from your enrolment application and forwarded for publication as part of processing your case; you don't draft or submit it separately. You'll be sent a copy of the published notice by email or post once it appears.

The 1994 Regulations themselves were made by the Master of the Rolls under section 133(1) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 — the general power to make regulations governing the enrolment of instruments in the courts (the Act was called the Supreme Court Act 1981 when the Regulations were made in 1994; it was renamed by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 to avoid confusion with the separate UK Supreme Court created by that Act). HMCTS reviews its forms and processes periodically, so treat any specific form number — including LOC025 and the ones named here — as something to reconfirm on GOV.UK immediately before you apply, rather than relying on this or any other page.

Enrolled vs unenrolled deed poll

A deed poll is a written declaration by one person (it is 'poll' because it binds only you, not two parties) that you are giving up your former name and adopting a new one for all purposes.

| | Unenrolled deed poll | Enrolled deed poll | |---|---|---| | Who can use it | Anyone 16 or over | Anyone 18 or over who meets the 1994 Regulations' eligibility rules (see below) | | Court involvement | None | Lodged with the King's Bench Division, Royal Courts of Justice | | Public record | No | Yes — advertised in The Gazette | | Cost | No court fee | £53.05 (check GOV.UK for the current fee) | | Typical use | Passports, DVLA, banks, most employers | Organisations that specifically require an enrolled deed, or where you want a permanent public record | | Overseas residents | Available, though rules can differ | Not available if you're a permanent resident overseas |

GOV.UK notes that some organisations, including certain banks, mobile phone companies and energy providers, may only accept an enrolled deed poll as proof of your new name — it's worth asking the specific organisation before you decide which route to take.

Who is actually eligible to enrol

GOV.UK's applicant-facing guidance keeps this simple, but the underlying 1994 Regulations — made under section 133(1) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 — set out more detail:

• Citizenship. Regulation 2 requires you to be a Commonwealth citizen, as defined by section 37(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981 — a wide definition that includes British citizens as well as citizens of other Commonwealth countries. If you're a British, British Overseas Territories, or British Overseas citizen, the deed poll itself must say so and state the specific section of the Act your citizenship comes under.
• Marital status. The deed poll must also describe you as single, married, widowed, divorced, a civil partner, or a former civil partner (and, if a former civil partner, whether the partnership ended by death or dissolution). This fuller list comes from the Enrolment of Deeds (Change of Name) (Amendment) Regulations 2005, which extended the original 1994 wording to reflect the introduction of civil partnerships.
• Where you live. Regulation 5 is the legal basis for GOV.UK's rule that permanent overseas residents cannot use a deed poll: if you live outside the UK, you must show your residence abroad is not intended to be permanent, and the court can require a solicitor's certificate on the likely duration of your stay.

For the great majority of applicants — UK nationals living in the UK — none of this changes anything in practice. It mainly matters if you hold a non-Commonwealth nationality or you currently live abroad.

How to enrol your deed poll at the Royal Courts of Justice

1. Decide whether enrolment is actually worth it. For most day-to-day purposes — passports, driving licences, bank records — an unenrolled deed is accepted without issue. Enrolment is slower and more expensive, and is only genuinely useful in a limited set of circumstances.
2. Gather your supporting documents. You'll need a copy of your birth certificate, valid passport, or certificate of naturalisation. Depending on your circumstances you may also need adoption documents, a marriage or civil partnership certificate, written consent from your spouse or civil partner, a decree absolute or final order (if divorced or your civil partnership has dissolved), or a death certificate (if widowed or your civil partner has died). Anything not in English or Welsh needs a certified translation. You'll also need someone to complete Form LOC021's statutory declaration — regulation 4 of the 1994 Regulations says this must be a Commonwealth citizen who is a UK householder and who has, ordinarily, known you for at least 10 years (a shorter period can be accepted at the Master of the Rolls' discretion).
3. Apply online or by post. The online route sends you Forms LOC020, LOC021 and LOC027 by email once you start your application (you must submit within 28 days of starting or begin again); the postal route uses the same three forms downloaded from GOV.UK. Sign Form LOC020 in front of 2 witnesses. Forms LOC021 and LOC027 must each be signed in front of a solicitor or another authorised witness.
4. Pay the fee and post your forms to the Deed Poll Office, King's Bench Division, Room E15, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL — or pay by card over the phone through the High Court Fees Office. Check your forms carefully first: mistakes get sent back, which adds delay.
5. Wait for approval, then receive your sealed deed. Once your application is approved, the Deed Poll Office seals your deed and posts it back to you — this is your proof of the change. Your Gazette notice is arranged as part of this process; you'll receive a copy separately.

Example: a typical timeline (illustrative only)

Priya, a fictional applicant, wants an enrolled deed because her bank will only update its records that way. She starts the online application on a Monday and receives Forms LOC020, LOC021 and LOC027 by email the same day. Two friends witness LOC020; a solicitor witnesses LOC021 and LOC027, where a long-standing family friend who has known Priya for over a decade acts as the declarant. She posts the signed forms with certified copies of her passport and marriage certificate, and pays the fee by phone. Her sealed deed and Gazette notice copy arrive around seven weeks later — well inside the "several weeks" GOV.UK describes, though GOV.UK's own guidance is clear that you're entitled to chase an update only once 16 weeks have passed without a response. This example is illustrative; your own timescale depends on current volumes and whether your paperwork is complete first time.

The London Gazette notice: what it contains and how it's published

The published record covers your name change and your address. Because The Gazette is a public record, anyone can search and read these notices — this is the "publicity" that distinguishes an enrolled deed poll from an unenrolled one. Regulation 7 of the 1994 Regulations requires that, once a deed poll is enrolled, it is advertised in this way as a matter of course — you don't need to request it separately.

If you're worried about privacy

If publishing your full details would put you at risk, say so — with supporting evidence — in your application. GOV.UK confirms the judge may agree to publish only your first name or your surname rather than both, reducing what appears in the public record. You will usually still need to pay the fee for the advert regardless of the outcome, so raise the concern as early as possible.

Fees for enrolment and the Gazette notice

As at the date this guide was last checked, enrolling an adult deed poll costs £53.05 in total, covering the court process and the Gazette notice together — always check GOV.UK's court fees guidance for the current figure, as fees are reviewed periodically and change without much notice. If you're on a low income or receive certain benefits, you may be able to get help with court and tribunal fees.

Registered offenders: a legal disclosure duty

If you're a registered sex offender, violent offender or terrorist offender, GOV.UK is explicit that you must tell the police of a name change within 3 days, in person at your local prescribed police station (you'll be told where this is on release). This duty applies whichever type of deed poll you use, and it is a criminal offence not to comply. If this applies to you, take proper guidance before proceeding.

A tighter regime for registered sex offenders has been passed by Parliament but is not yet in force. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. Among other things, it strengthens the notification regime for registered sex offenders specifically — moving towards advance notice of an intended name change rather than notice after the fact — and, under section 125 of the Act, gives the police a new power to require a registered sex offender to obtain prior authorisation before applying for a passport, driving licence or immigration document in a new name, which the police can refuse where they consider it necessary to protect the public from sexual harm. As at the date this guide was last checked, these specific provisions had not been brought into force: the first commencement regulations under the Act (SI 2026/689, in force from 29 June 2026) did not include them, and no later commencement regulations bringing them into force had been made. Until they are commenced, the 3-day, after-the-fact notification duty described above remains the operative rule. If this applies to you, check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the current position before relying on anything written here.

What happens after enrolment

Once your sealed deed and Gazette notice copy arrive, you can use them to update your passport, driving licence, bank accounts, the electoral roll, HMRC, your employer, and any other organisation that holds your details. Keep the sealed copy safe — you may need to produce it again, and unlike an unenrolled deed, the enrolled version and its Gazette notice remain on the public record permanently.

If you're changing a child's name rather than your own, the eligibility and paperwork are different — see our guide to changing a child's name by deed poll.

This guide provides general information about enrolling an adult deed poll and the London Gazette notice requirement in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. Form numbers, fees and process details described here were accurate as at the date of the GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk pages cited above and are subject to change — always check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the most current position before you apply.

Last reviewed: July 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: July 2027 or on legislative change.