Family versus separate Adult and Child Deed Polls

If you are undecided as to whether to apply for a Family Deed Poll or apply for individual Adult and Child Deed Polls for yourself and other family members, there are two factors to consider:

Firstly, there is the cost aspect. A Family Deed Poll is less expensive. For example, if a mother with two children (under 16 years of age) applies for separate Deed Polls (one Adult and two Child Deed Polls), the fee will be £33 + £25 + £15 = £73. However, the fee for a Family Deed Poll will be £33 + £8 + £8 = £49 (a saving of £24). Do bear in mind that with a Family Deed Poll, the children included can only change their surname to the parent’s new surname (but the parent can change their forenames and title if required).

Secondly, you should consider whether you want your children to have their own Deed Poll documents. The disadvantage of a Family Deed Poll is that when your children grow up and leave home, they will not have their own Deed Poll document to take with them, which they will need (along with their birth certificate) when they are required to prove their identity (for employment purposes or if applying for a passport etc).

If the overall cost is not too important to you, we suggest you apply for separate Deed Polls for each family member.