The Deed Poll Blog

Myth of Company Seals on Deed Polls

28 January 2008 – 12:44 am

Contrary to popular belief there is no legal requirement to include a company seal on a Deed Poll.  So what is a company seal?  It’s simply a company’s offical name or logo that is embossed or stamped onto the Deed Poll.  Historically, the seal had some legal significance; affixing the seal to a Deed was an act of “the Company” rather than an act carried out by the Directors.  However, in modern times the significance of legal seals is no longer a legal requirement (36A of the Companies Act 1985 abolished the requirement to affix company seals to a deed).

In the past, Companies would use melted wax to make a physical impression on a deed, however modern day seals will usually only leave an indentation on the paper.  Some companies will use a red wafer to imitate old red wax seals, which will allow the seal to show up better on photocopies.  Many companies providing Deed Polls online will often produce an electronic seal, again to imitate old red wax seals.

In short, Company seals do not need to be present on your Deed Poll, however, some companies will include one anyway.  Our decision is that a Deed Poll looks unprofessional with a red star shaped sticker. 

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Is there an “official” deed poll registrar?

28 January 2008 – 12:05 am

A lot of people are under the belief that a central government agency issues and registers Deed Polls.

This belief, although understandable, is not correct.  It is certainly true that a Deed Poll can be registered (or “enrolled”) at the Royal Courts of Justice, where they are stored for safekeeping for a period of 5 years and then moved to the National Archives at Kew in Surrey.  However, this is not obligatory and very few Deed Polls are enrolled these days.  The main reason for enrolling your Deed Poll these days would be to help future generations track you in their genealogy search; whether that’s worth the enrollment fee (currently around £65 plus the price of your actual Deed Poll) is up to you!  Please also bear in mind that you cannot enrol our standard Deed Polls; please contact us if you wish to purchase a Deed Poll that can be enrolled.

There is no official issuer of Deed Polls, despite what the media sometimes make out.  Neither must a solicitor write, sign or witness a Deed Poll.  A Deed Poll is a legal document which, as long as drawn up correctly and competantly, can be executed and will be accepted by any organisation that needs sight of it to process a change of name request.

For more information on enrolling a Deed Poll, click here to read guidance and information from the HM Courts Service website.

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Passport Agency gives power to young people

4 December 2007 – 10:08 am

From 10 December 2007 the IPS will introduce the biggest changes in policy to child passport applications since 1998. The changes to be introduced will be:

1. 16 and 17-year-olds will be able to apply for a passport without seeking parental consent; and
2. 16 and 17-year-olds can change their name without parental consent.

This policy change will bring us into line with modern legal practices and recognise the fact that many 16 and 17-year-olds are already taking day-to-day responsibility for their lives. At 16, compulsory education ends and National Insurance numbers are issued. It is also the age at which the Child Abduction Act 1984 no longer applies. 

However, parental consent will still be needed where a court order requires it or the young person has a learning or understanding disability. 

Posted in Legal updates | No Comments »