The Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey are Crown Dependencies. They are not part of the United Kingdom and each has its own legal system, its own registry and its own rules about how a change of name is recorded.
That matters if you were born in one of them, because the route that applies may not be a Deed Poll at all.
Check with your local registry first
Each island has its own registration office dealing with births, marriages and deaths, and each has its own position on changes of name. Before ordering any document from us, contact the registry for the island where your birth was registered and ask what they accept and what they require.
Who to contact
- Isle of Man - the General Registry
- Jersey - the Superintendent Registrar
- Guernsey, Alderney and Sark - the Greffe
These offices handle island registration matters. We are a private UK service and have no connection with any of them.
When a Deed Poll may still be useful
A Deed Poll is a declaration that you have abandoned a former name and intend to use a new one. Many UK organisations accept one as evidence of a name change, and that can be relevant if you live in the islands but deal with UK banks, pension providers, employers or HM Passport Office.
It does not, however, replace anything your island registry requires, and it does not amend an island birth record. If you need a change recorded on an island register, that has to go through the island's own process.
Our application forms cover island births
Our child and family applications ask where the birth or adoption was registered and include the Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey as options. That is so we know the circumstances, not because a Deed Poll automatically substitutes for the island process.
If your answers suggest the island route would serve you better, we would rather tell you that than take the order.
Delivery to the islands
Documentation is posted to the address you give on the application form. Postal times to the islands can be longer than to mainland UK addresses, so allow extra time if you have a deadline such as a passport application or a booked trip.
Before you order anything
- Contact the registry for the island where the birth was registered.
- Ask specifically whether a UK Deed Poll will be accepted for your purpose.
- Check requirements with any UK organisation you also need to satisfy.
- Email us if you are unsure whether our service fits your circumstances.
Ready to apply?
Adult, child and family applications can all be completed online.
Start your application