Closed petition Do not require deed polls to be enrolled to serve as a proof of name change

Closed on 19 August 2021

Currently the government is considering changes to how deed polls are processed. In its response to a previous petition it says it intends to amend guidance so that only enrolled deed polls are accepted as a proof of name change.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300705

Currently publicly enrolling deed polls is optional. Requiring them to be enrolled in this way will be harmful to abuse survivors and transgender people, amongst others. Doing this would make it a lot easier for abuse victims to be found by their abusers again – many change their name to get away from them. It could also potentially be used for hate crime purposes against trans people as you must declare your address on a deed poll. This is a dangerous precedent.