Name change letter – Example 2
Sole parental responsibility
(other parent who had PR is deceased)
If you have sole parental responsibility (PR) because the other parent who had PR is deceased, you need to send us a letter of consent before we can prepare your Deed Poll documentation. Please note, you do not need to send us a letter of consent if you are the mother and the father did not have PR for your child. In summary, a letter of consent is required if:
- You are the mother and you were married to the deceased father (see Letter 2a template below).
- You are the mother and you were not married to the deceased father but the father is recorded on your child’s birth certificate but only for births registered from 1st December 2003 in England or Wales; from 4th May 2006 in Scotland and from 15th April 2002 in Northern Ireland. If your child was not born in the UK, the above dates apply for where you live in the UK (see Letter 2b template below).
- You are the father (with PR) and the mother is deceased (see Letter 2c template below).
If you are changing more than one child’s name, please provide a separate letter for each child.
Our fax number and postal address can be found at the bottom of this page.
If you have Microsoft Word for Windows versions 2002, 2003 or 2007 on your computer, you can download an interactive Word template that will make it easy to produce the appropriate letter of consent.
Look out for this download icon in the template.
If you do not have Word, please copy and paste the template text into your word processor.
Letter 2a template
Letter 2b template
[Your home address]
[Your daytime telephone number]
[Date]
To whom it may concern.
Dear Sirs,
I, the undersigned, having sole parental responsibility for [insert child’s current full name here] consent to [his/her] name being changed to [insert new full name here].
Although the father is named on my [son/daughter’s] birth certificate, sadly he passed away on [date]. Please find enclosed a copy of his death certificate.
NOTE: If you do not have access to the death certificate, please briefly say why.
Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Your full name]
Mother
Click on the icon to download an interactive Word document for this letter.
Click on the Open button if you see a File Download window.
Letter 2c template
[Your home address]
[Your daytime telephone number]
[Date]
To whom it may concern.
Dear Sirs,
I, the undersigned, having sole parental responsibility for [insert child’s current full name here] consent to [his/her] name being changed to [insert new full name here].
Sadly, my [son/daughter’s] mother passed away on [date]. Please find enclosed a copy of her death certificate.
NOTE: If you do not have access to the death certificate, please say why.
Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Your full name]
Father
Click on the icon to download an interactive Word document for this letter.
Click on the Open button if you see a File Download window.
Where to send your signed letter of consent
Please send your signed letter of consent to us using one of the following methods:
1. Fax to 0333 444 8486 (+44 333 444 8486 from overseas).
2. Scan your signed letter and email to loc@deedpoll.org.uk
3. Post to either of the addresses below.
Please note, if you are paying by cheque or postal order, or claiming a fee reduction for receiving a qualifying benefit, we suggest you do not fax or email your letter but enclose it with your payment and/or benefit evidence.
Freepost address
(if posting in the UK)
Using our Freepost address costs nothing but it takes about 3 working days to reach us. If you want your letter to arrive sooner, or if you are overseas, use the address below
Full postal address
Use this address if you want your letter to arrive sooner or if you are posting from overseas. Don’t forget to affix the correct postage
