These pages set out the steps to take in changing your name.
Think about the name that you are going to choose for yourself.
Pick something sensible: Scully is not sensible, you are too old to have been named by your parents after a recent television character.
Remember your age, and try to fit in with what would have been appropriate at the time of your birth.
You should also consider whether you want to change your surname. Some trans people choose to do so, and it is perfectly legal and acceptable … but if you want to maximise your privacy and make life easy, it may be better not to change your surname.
This may sound strange, but the reason is that if you do change your surname, the documentation will be more complicated when you obtain a gender recognition certificate.
(If you are not thinking of changing your surname, you may prefer to skip the rest of this page. The explanation is rather complicated!)
These complications mean that if you have to produce your birth cert, it will harder to maintain privacy about your transsexual history. Many trans people won’t mind about that, but you should consider whether it matters to you, or might matter in the future.
The effect on the documents depends on when you were born: procedures for birth certificates changed some time in 1969. The precise reasons are very complicated, but here’s a fuller explanation if you want it:
If you were born after 1969, your new birth certificate will show your new surname, which will be different to that of your parents. There are other people in this situation (not just trans people), but it is unusual. So it may mean that some questions are asked about your birth certificate—it may not matter very often, but it’s not a good situation to get into if you want to maximise your privacy.
The situations where this matters are rare, but it is something to consider.
If you were born before 1969, things get even more complicated if you have changed your surname.
Your original birth certificate does not record the child’s surname—in those days, a child was assumed to take the father’s name (if recorded), or the mother’s name if no father was recorded. That makes it difficult for anyone who had changed their surname, so you will be offered a choice between a post-1969-style birth certificate or the earlier format.
However, if you choose the post-1969 format, someone to whom you produce your birth cert may notice that a pre-1969 birth should not be recorded in that format, and might ask difficult questions.
So the registrar will offer you the choice of having a pre-1969-style birth cert, which will look the same as for other people born in the same era. This option would cause a lot of complications, so it looks like a bad option.
For example, suppose your parents were Janet and John Smith, who named you Ann, and when you transitioned your changed your name to Eric Jones. If you get a pre-1969-style birth cert, it will show your name as Eric, and your parents’ name as Smith so your name would be Eric Smith.
This would be difficult, because you were never known as that! You would now have a contradiction in your paper-trail: a statutory declaration which shows your name changing from Ann Smith to Eric Jones, and a birth cert for Eric Smith.
There could be two ways around this:
Once you have chosen your name, the first thing to do is to prepare a statutory declaration of name change.
A solicitor will charge you a fee (usually betwen £20 and £50) for drafting your statutory declaration. However, you can type your own statutory declaration, and then pay a much smaller fee to have it sworn (or "notarised").
You can draw up a statutory declaration based on the sample below ... but you will probably find it easier to use our online name-changer, which will create it for you.
(We do recommend that you use the online name-changer. There is less chance of making a mistake!)
This is what a statutory declaration should look like:
Note: The format varies, depending on whether you are changing your first names, your surname or both. This sample is for someone who is only changing their first names.
I Jane Maria Campbell of 123 High Street, Somewheretown, Borsetshire BX45 1QA
DO SOLEMNLY AND SINCERELY DECLARE as follows:-
| SIGNED AND DECLARED at | ) |
| in the County of | ) |
| ) | |
| this day, the of 200 | ) |
| ) | |
| Before me | ) |
| ) | |
| Solicitor/Commissioner for Oaths | ) |
Once you have chosen your name and prepared your statutory declaration you need to swear it in front of someone who is authorised to notarise it.
It is then a very good idea to get several notarised copies of your statutory declaration. That way, you will rarely have to use the original copy, which you can keep safely at home.
You will usually have to pay a small fee for each copy.
There are two sets of people who can do this:
A magistrate’s clerk can notarise your statutory declaration for a fixed fee of under £10.
You can find your local magistrates court in your telephone book, or the Court Service website includes an list of addresses of all the magistrates courts
You may need to make an appointment.
To notarise a statutory declaration, a solicitor must be a registered “notary”. Nowadays, nearly all solicitors are notaries, and a quick phone call to any solicitor’s office will tell you who the notary is in that office, and how much they will charge.
Fees can vary widely, so it is advisable to shop around. In one town, a trans person recently obtained three quotes for swearing a statutory declaration : £5, £30 and £60!
To facilitate the change of name on statutory documents as discussed below, you will need to send:
The letter from your doctor must be similar to that shown below. It must state that the change you are undergoing is permanent. Without this, many of the authorities such as the passport office will not make the necessary changes.
You can change a range of documentation (see the following sections of this FAQ), by sending both your Statutory Declaration and the doctor's letter along with a short note simply explaining that you are undergoing gender reassignment from female to male and that you need your documentation changing to recognise your new name and gender.
Technically you should always send the original documents by Registered Post, ensuring you enclose the return postage and any extra cost required to ensure that they are returned by Registered Post. Most solicitors will certify photocopies of your statutory declaration for a very small fee.
However, apart from the Passport Office, it would now appear that most of these bodies will now accept photocopies of your Doctor’s letter and your statutory declaration.
Headed paper with address of GP, Doctor, GIC or consultant.
Medical Reference No. xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date.
To whom it may concern
This is to confirm that my patient [Mr.] [Full name] has been diagnosed as having gender dysphoria and is currently undergoing gender reassignment to the male role. This change is to be permanent. As part of this process he has changed his name by Statutory Declaration from [Ms.] [Old full name] to [Mr.,/Miss./Ms.,/Mrs.,] [full name]
Your assistance in making the relevant changes to your records and in preserving full confidentiality would be appreciated.
Doctor, GP or Consultants signature
Being transsexual presents no problem as far as banks or building societies are concerned. They will apply exactly the same criteria in the case of credit assessment as for anyone else.
The bank will change your name as a matter of course once it has received a certified copy of your statutory declaration. The bank will also require a signature card with your new signature or in the case of a second account the signature which you will use for the operation of that account.
Again altering details on these and requesting new ones will present no problems. Simply send a covering letter to the credit card company together with a copy of your statutory declaration requesting a change in your name and requesting that new cards be issued in that name.
Do however watch out for the fact that certain credit card companies utilise gender checking as a form of security. On some credit cards the gender may be stated in which case it is easy to see the alteration but on some others such as Barclaycard there is no gender indicator as there are only initials. The use of initials is a deliberate part of the security system in that if your card is ever checked for any reason then the first thing the shop assistant is asked of the cardholder is the gender of the cardholder. Therefore make sure that the credit card is tied to an account in your preferred name.
You need to get a form from your post office to apply for a driving licence.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) now issues only photocard-style driving licenses, so you will now be asked for a photograph which will be included on your new licence. Try to get a photo which you will be happy with for some time in your new role, and make sure that it complies with the DVLA's criteria.
Send the form, along with a covering letter, to the DVLA in Swansea together with a copy of your Doctor's or Psychiatrist's letter and a copy of your Statutory Declaration and your old driving licence. (The DVLA's website includes a useful page on How to Apply for your Driving Licence & How much it will cost.)
If you change your name and hold a current driving licence you must inform the DVLA without delay. Failure to do so is an offence under section 99 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
The covering letter should state that:
* you wish your legal name on the licence amended to the of your new legal name, and
* that the gender code be altered to that of your new role.
You must ensure that the gender code is changed and not just your name as explained below.
Your driving licence will include a "driver number": it's item No. 5 on the front of the photocard. This number includes a gender code.
Your driver number will look something like this: ROBIN512185CJ9ME
The full code is explained in the DVLA's guidance on paper driving licenses (the same coding system is used on photocards), but what matters here are middle six digits in bold: in the example above 512185.
On your driving licence, your date of birth and sex is shown in the number. On a man's driving license, the second digit must be '0' or '1'.
For example:
The gender code is in the second digit of the DVLA number: '0' or '1' for a male, or '5' or a '6' for a female. So a female born on the seventh of June 1943 would be shown as 456073.
This can be stated as follows:
The DVLA code for a man born on 7 June 1943 is: 406073:
Conversely, the DVLA code for a woman born on 7 June 1943 is: 456073:
You can see clearly that the gender code is 5 or 6 is added for female. It is of course a complete give away to the police if they should ever inspect your licence. To avoid embarrassment, you should ensure that the female gender code is deleted.
Send a certified copy of your statutory declaration with your doctor’s letter together with a letter from yourself quoting your National Insurance (NI) number to the central office of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as follows:
The DWP will acknowledge your change of name and style of address and reply in a standard letter stating that in effect that the change will have no effect to any legal entitlement to state benefits, especially the state pension. You may also receive a plastic NI numbercard which will show the new title and name but there will be nothing on the card to indicate any change of name or previous name.
Note that you when you inform the DWP of your change of name, you should also inform the Inland Revenue at the same time.
The entitlement to a state pension, following decision CP/76 of the National Insurance Commissioner is that a transvestite or a transsexual person’s right to a state pension will be by reference to your original biological sex. This follows the Corbett doctrine and means that if were born a man you will receive your pension at 65 and if you were born a woman you will receive it at 60. The fact that the retirement age for state pensions for both men and woman are now being equalised by the year 2020 will then make no difference to entitlements or retirement ages.
The national insurance number will not be changed by the DWP and the central office of the DWP in Newcastle will record your previous legal name as well as your new one and may be viewed on the DCI computer by any authorised employee of the DWPS. All employees of the DSS are bound to keep information confidential unless required by the courts or the police through special section A. The DWP central index of your National Insurance number will also be annotated and flagged that you are to be treated as male for some purposes and female for others.
A transsexual person is entitled to Jobseeker’s Allowance in the same way that every other person is, and will also be treated in the same way for the payment of national insurance contributions. If you are unemployed then the Unemployment benefit office and Job centre will also be aware of your previous details and will require to be informed of your change of status. Employees of the unemployment benefit office are again bound by confidentiality.
Send a letter, and the documentation required, in confidence, to your Inspector of Taxes — the address is available from your employer’s personnel or wages office.
Mark the envelope as “private and confidential” of the tax office which deals with your affairs and quote your National Insurance number and Tax reference (available from your wages office or often it is on your wages slip).
Your income tax records will always be changed and any further correspondence will always be addressed in your new legal name. If you advise the DWP of your change of status, then you must advise the Inland Revenue at the same time … but you should not of course notify these changes until you have also informed your employer.
To obtain a new NHS Medical Card you should write to your local Family Practitioner Committee [address available from your GP], requesting a Medical Card in your new name, and enclosing the letter from your Doctor or Psychiatrist as outlined above together with a copy of your Statutory Declaration and your old NHS Medical Card.
Your new Medical Card number will be a completely new number, though the last three figures which are the ID suffix will remain the same. Your new number will also have a special prefix of an A or a Z which denotes that an alteration or variation in unspecified status has taken place.
You may also wish to change your name on various documents such as examination certificates. All you need do is to write to the examination bodies concerned, enclosing a certified copy of your statutory declaration. There may well be a fee for such a service and you should enquire beforehand.
Some University examination bodies have recently refused to alter the name on the degree certificates of some transsexual people. If this happens, then initially write an appeal to the examinations office, with supporting evidence such as your statutory declaration and doctor’s letter. If again refused, then contact the Lesbian and Gay officer of the students union, who will ensure that you have support when you make a formal appeal to the University Senate body, though it would be surprising if the University insisted upon taking the matter that far.
If you own a house or flat in your own name, you must change your name on the proprietorship register at the district land registry where your property is registered.
You need to forward a covering letter stating the address of your property together with the registered title number of the property concerned and enclose a certified copy of your Statutory Declaration. If your property is mortgaged then you must also inform your building society or mortgagee.
If you are not sure where your property is registered you should contact the solicitor who handled the purchase of the house for you as they will generally know which registry you should contact.
You can obtain a new passport showing you as ‘Mr’ and ‘male’.
All you need do is to complete the passport application together with the statutory fee and send this with a copy of your Doctor’s or Psychiatrist’s letter and a copy of your Statutory Declaration. (The Passport Service’s website includes a page on the cost of applying for a passport).
You must also send your old passport back if you have one. If you have not held a passport before, then you must also send your original birth certificate to the passport office.
You should send your passport application to:
The FAQ section on changing your documents includes specific advice on major documents.
But there will be many other bodies which you will need to inform, including: