LOC022 form: change a child's name by enrolled deed poll (the deed)
Form LOC022 is the deed poll (minor's change of name deed) for a child whose new name is to be enrolled, which puts it on public record with the High Court. It records the child's old and new names and is signed by everyone with parental responsibility in front of two witnesses.
Fill in the LOC022 form with Wren
How Wren helps with the LOC022
Official forms are written for lawyers. With Wren you do not have to decode this one on your own, and you still follow the court’s procedure.
- Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the LOC022 becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
- Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
- The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official LOC022. You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
- What comes next, kept with your caseWhat usually happens after you send it, with the dates worked out from the published rules.
Time and money
- On your own
- A day or more
- With Wren
- About an hour for most forms
- Solicitor for this form
- £740 to £1,2403 to 5 hours
A solicitor’s time for the LOC022 can run to £1,240. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes about an hour for most forms rather than a day or more.
Times and hours are Wren’s estimates for a typical case, not quotes. Solicitor costs are those hours at £247 an hour, the courts’ guideline rate for a solicitor with over four years’ experience, outside London (GOV.UK, Solicitors' guideline hourly rates (in effect from 1 January 2026)). The guideline runs from £200 to £295 an hour outside London depending on experience, firms set their own rates, and VAT is added on top.
Key facts
- Official title
- Enrol a deed poll with the court to change a child's name: form LOC022
- Edition
- 05.15 (1 page)Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Fee
- GOV.UK gives the fee to enrol a deed poll as £53.05Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Witnesses
- Two witnesses, who sign in pen and must not be related to you or the child by birth or marriageSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- No mistakes
- The deed must have no crossings out or mistakes and be printed single-sidedSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Sent with
- An affidavit of best interest (LOC023), a statutory declaration (LOC024), and photocopied exhibits each with a cover sheet (LOC028)Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who uses the LOC022
A child's parent or guardian. GOV.UK says you need either the agreement of everyone with parental responsibility for the child, or a court order giving permission to change the name.
When it is used
When you apply by post to enrol a child's change of name. GOV.UK says that if you apply online instead, the deed is completed for you and sent to you to print and sign.
Before you start
- The child's full birth certificate, to copy the old name exactly.
- The child's full new name, including any middle names.
- The names of everyone with parental responsibility, or the court order giving permission.
- Which section of the British Nationality Act 1981 gives the child their citizenship.
How to fill in the LOC022
Open each part for what it asks and how to answer it. In Wren, each part is a few plain questions, and your answers fill in the form.
The deed
You give the names of the people with parental responsibility (or with a court order) making the deed, the child's new and old names and the child's age.
Status
You tick whether the child is a British citizen, a British dependent territories citizen or a Commonwealth citizen, and give the section of the British Nationality Act 1981.
The declaration
You tick I or we. Paragraph 3 is struck out if the child's forename is not changing; check before striking anything, because the deed must have no crossings out.
Signing
Everyone with parental responsibility signs in front of two witnesses, who add their names, addresses and occupations. The date the deed is made is written on that day.
Prepare your LOC022 with Wren Family
Wren Family turns official forms into short, plain-English questions you can answer at your own pace. You check everything before you send it: nothing goes to the court for you.
Get startedFree for 14 days, no card. Then £19.99 a month, with your money back within 14 days if it’s not right.
What happens after you send it
A judge decides whether the change of name can be enrolled. If it is, GOV.UK says a public record of the new name is published in The Gazette.
Common mistakes
- Crossing out or correcting a mistake on the deed. Print a fresh copy instead.
- Using a relative as a witness. Witnesses must not be related to you or the child by birth or marriage.
- Spelling the old name differently from the birth certificate.
- Forgetting to send a photocopy of the signed deed as exhibit A.
Common questions
What if the other parent does not agree?
GOV.UK says you should try to reach an agreement first. If you cannot, a court order is needed before the change can be made.
What if the child was born in Scotland?
GOV.UK says Scottish rules apply instead.
Where these facts come from
These are the official rules and pages this page is based on. They are listed so you can check a detail for yourself; you do not need them to use Wren. They are outside Wren and open in a new tab.