Changing your name
This advice applies to Scotland. See advice for See advice for England, See advice for Northern Ireland, See advice for Wales
How to change your name
You can change your first, middle or surname at any time, as long as it's not for fraudulent purposes.
You can start to use the new name informally but for most official purposes you will need to give evidence that you have changed your name.
In Scotland, you can officially record a name change with the National Records of Scotland. This will change the name on your birth or adoption certificate, but there’s no legal requirement to do this.
In some cases, it might not be in your interest to have the change recorded by the National Records of Scotland, for example, in the case of domestic violence. A change of name is recorded on a public register and anyone can see the change of name.
How to apply
You can apply to change your name if:
you're 16 years old or over
you were born or adopted in Scotland.
The application cannot be done digitally. You will need to fill in Form 24 and send this to the National Records of Scotland with the appropriate fee.
If you’re under 16 years old, an application must be made by a qualified applicant. This is usually a parent or someone with parental responsibility.
If you were born or legally adopted in Scotland but now live elsewhere, you can still apply to the National Records of Scotland to have your name change officially recorded.
If you get married or enter a civil partnership
If you get married or register a civil partnership you can use any name, including your spouse's or partner’s, as long as no fraud is intended.
You don’t need to formally record any name change because the marriage or civil partnership certificate is usually recognised as proof of a name change.
If you’re told that you need more evidence, you should contact the National Records of Scotland - check how to contact them on the National Records of Scotland website.
If you get divorced or end a civil partnership
If you divorce or end a civil partnership, you can go back to using your previous surname without having to formally record the change.
If you formally recorded your married or civil partnership name change on your birth certificate you will have to use that process to change it back.
The extract decree of divorce or dissolution of civil partnership is usually recognised as proof of the name change.
If you’re told that you need more evidence, you should contact the National Records of Scotland - check how to contact them on the National Records of Scotland website.
If you’re trans
If you're trans, you can change your name at any time.
You don't have to have a gender recognition certificate or a new birth certificate to start using a new name. There's more information about changing your name on the Scottish Trans website.
Changing a name by statutory declaration
You can officially change your name in Scotland using a statutory declaration or deed poll.
You might do this if you’re not eligible to change your name with the National Records of Scotland, for example if you’ve changed your name too many times or if you were not born in Scotland.
A statutory declaration is a document that can be drawn up and witnessed by a notary public, justice of the peace or local councillor. Find out how to get a statutory declaration signed on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service website.
If you can’t change your name officially in Scotland, you can use a deed poll to change your name instead. There is guidance on changing your name by deed poll on GOV.UK.
Changing the name of a child or young person
The process for officially changing a name is different for a child or young person. It also depends on the child or young person’s age.
An application can only be made by a qualified applicant. A qualified applicant means:
the parent with parental responsibility for the child - if only 1 parent has this responsibility
both parents - if they both have parental responsibilities
any other person who has parental responsibility - if neither parent has this responsibility.
Parents under the age of 16 with parental responsibilities can change their child's name.
If the child is under 12 months old
If the child is under 12 months old, you’ll need to complete:
Form 21 – if you’re only changing the child’s first name
Form 23 – if you’re changing the child’s surname.
The application cannot be done digitally. You will need to fill in the correct form and send this to the National Records of Scotland with the appropriate fee.
If the child is under 16 years old
If the child or young person is over 12 months old but under 16 years old, you’ll need to complete the under 16 form.
The application cannot be done digitally. You will need to fill in Form 23 and send this to the National Records of Scotland with the appropriate fee.
Objecting to a child’s name being changed
If more than one person has parental responsibilities for the child, they must all agree to the change of name.
If someone without parental responsibilities wants to object to a child’s name being changed, they may have to get a court order.
If you want to object to a child’s name being changed you should get advice .
How many times you can change your name
There is a limit to the number of times that you can record an official change of name in Scotland. If the name change is for someone:
under 16 years old – their first name and surname can only be changed 1 time
over 16 years old – their first name can be changed 1 time and surname can be changed 3 times. There must be a 5-year gap between each change of surname.
If you have reached the limit of the number of times that you can record a change of name, you can still change your name, but it cannot be officially recorded by the National Records of Scotland.
If you were not born or adopted in Scotland
If you were not born or adopted in Scotland, you can change your name in one of the following ways:
changing it in your country of birth
deed poll - read how to change your name by deed poll on GOV.UK
statutory declaration - a document that can be drawn up and witnessed by a notary public, justice of the peace or local councillor. Read about how to get a statutory declaration signed on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service website.
You can then tell people and agencies about the name change.
Who to tell about your name change
Whether you choose to record your change of name or not, it is important to tell people and agencies, for example:
the passport office - find out how to update your passport on GOV.UK
DVLA - find out how to update your driving licence and vehicle registration on GOV.UK
your employer
mortgage provider
banks, building societies, and credit unions - current accounts, credit cards, loan agreements, savings and ISAs
pension providers - current and previous
healthcare practitioners - doctors and dentist
utility providers - gas and electricity companies
insurance - for example, home, life, and pet
benefits agency - DWP, HMRC, Social Security Scotland
student loans company.
After you have told people or agencies, they will be able to update their records to have your new name.