Change your name in the UK with an Indonesian or foreign passport

What to prepare

• Current foreign passport or national ID, old-name documents and appropriate evidence such as a marriage certificate, court order or civil-registration record.
• Your embassy or consulate’s passport requirements; arrange certified translation or legalisation if an authority asks for it.
• A list of records to update: UKVI, bank, employer, GP/NHS, HMRC, DVLA and your vehicle V5C if relevant.

Steps you can follow

1. Identify the type and location of change

   Taking a spouse’s surname, returning to a former name after divorce and choosing another name can need different evidence. GOV.UK says a marriage or civil-partnership certificate may suffice for a spouse’s surname. Check separate rules for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

2. Ask your passport authority first

   Indonesian citizens should ask the Indonesian Embassy in London about Indonesian records and passport changes; other nationals should ask their consulate. A UK deed poll alone does not change a foreign passport. Keep documents linking the old and new names.

3. Prepare suitable UK name-change evidence

   If a deed poll is appropriate, GOV.UK provides free unenrolled deed-poll wording for people aged 16 or over. Print it and sign in both names before two witnesses aged 18 or over. Choose independent witnesses and ask each record-holder what evidence it accepts before paying.

4. Update eVisa and other records individually

   Once the relevant passport or identity card shows the new name, update your UKVI account. Then contact your bank, employer, GP/NHS, HMRC and DVLA if you hold a GB licence. Check that your eVisa and travel document agree before travelling.

Deed-poll and record-update costs

You can make a suitable unenrolled deed poll yourself using GOV.UK wording at no charge. InstantDeedPoll advertises a £14.99 adult PDF as checked on 23 September 2026; this is an optional commercial preparation fee, not a government charge. DVLA does not charge for a name-only licence update. Foreign passport charges depend on the issuing authority.

Check current requirements, availability and charges through the official reference ↗ before applying or paying.

Foreign passport, eVisa and UK records are separate processes

The Home Office generally expects foreign nationals to show a passport or national identity card already in the new name before it changes an eVisa. There are limited exceptions, including certain refugee and stateless cases. A deed poll or marriage record may still link your old and new names, but it does not replace the foreign identity document UKVI requests.

UKVI says its account-update service cannot change your name or passport while a visa application awaits a decision. It points to a different route when you lack an identity document in the new name. Ask the Indonesian Embassy in London for its current passport evidence requirements rather than assuming a UK deed poll is sufficient.

Home Office name policy ↗

Update your UKVI account ↗

Indonesian Embassy in London ↗

Free deed poll or optional prepared PDF?

An unsigned download is not an executed deed poll. The GOV.UK model needs your old-name and new-name signatures and two adult witnesses. Some organisations may refuse a self-made deed poll or require other evidence. Check with your bank or other record-holder first; no single document is guaranteed to work everywhere.

If you want a prepared form, InstantDeedPoll advertises a £14.99 adult PDF to download, print and sign. This is an optional commercial service, not a requirement to obtain the free official wording. Recheck the price and acceptance conditions before buying; you need not buy a postal pack merely because you think a self-made deed poll is invalid.

GOV.UK: make a free deed poll ↗

UK deed poll online ↗

Update bank, NHS, employer, HMRC and DVLA records

Ask your bank and employer which evidence they accept and how to submit it securely. In England, NHS guidance says GP practices require an appropriate document, such as a marriage certificate or deed poll, to change a patient’s name. HMRC has a separate details-update service.

For a GB driving licence, DVLA asks for form D1 or D2, the old licence and original supporting documents; a name-only change is free. Update a vehicle V5C separately if you own one. Northern Ireland has a different licence process.

NHS England: changing patient details ↗

DVLA: change your licence name ↗

HMRC: tell us about a change ↗

Things to check carefully

Frequently asked questions