Question: How to change your identity (UK)?

Thu 2 Sep 2010 - 5:24 pm UTC

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ANSWERED on Wed 22 Apr 2009 - 2:18 pm UTC by davidsarokin

Question: How to change your identity (UK)?

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Asked by dnyeg on Sun 19 Apr 2009 - 11:49 pm UTC:

Research for something I am writing at the moment. If you were,
hypothetically, to want to create a new identity, what would be the
quickest and most effective way to do it? Change of identity here means
going by a different name and being able to get identification in that
name, which is valid to travel - so, driving license, passport etc. I know
that there is a technique used in "The Day of the Jackal" involving
obtaining the birth certificate of a dead person, but the aim here is not
identity theft, but the creation of a whole new identity and the
decommissioning of the old.

The identity would not be a "false" identity, but a change of identity,
which would be reflected on all documentation. Is there a single service
that will update all bank details etc, or would one need to contact every
organisation with a record of your name individually?



Please note, this question refers to the Untied Kingdom.

Uclue Researcher Request for clarification by Researcher davidsarokin on Mon 20 Apr 2009 - 12:13 am UTC:

dnyeg,

It sounds as if you are asking about a person legally changing their name. 
If that's the case, there are ways to do this in the UK.

1.  In a few cases, it's possible to legally change the name on one's birth
certificate.  For example, if your father is unknown at birth, and you
later discover his identity, you can have your birth certificate legally
changed to reflect his surname.

2.  For the most part, though, people change names by filing a Deed of
Change of Name, more commonly known as a Deed Poll.  


In either event, the changing of the name is not terribly onerous.  But
it's usually up to the individual to then make all subsequent changes to,
eg, your employer, bank accounts and the like. 

Here's a good background page on Deed Polls:

http://www.ukdps.co.uk/ 

Let me know, more specifically, what sort of information you need to make
for a full answer to your question.

David

Question clarification by dnyeg on Wed 22 Apr 2009 - 12:00 am UTC:

Thanks for this - what I am looking for was almost a reset button on one's
identity - a service whereby you could change your name legal y and have
that change cascaded down through all manifestations of your identity (tax
profile, passport, driving license, bills etc) - so, the previous identity
would cease effectively and immediately to be. It sounds, however, as if
one has to change one's name by deed poll and then change one's passport
and so on - just as one would if one changed one's name after marriage by
deed poll.

Could you tell me in which cases it is possible to change your name on your
birth certificate, and how one would go about it?

Uclue Researcher Answer by Researcher davidsarokin on Wed 22 Apr 2009 - 2:18 pm UTC:

dnyeg,

Thanks for clarifying what you're after.

The site I linked to earlier also has a terrific overview page on exactly
this topic:  


http://www.ukdps.co.uk/CanABirthCertificateBeChanged.html
Can a birth certificate be changed?


You can see from the entries there that the rules vary between 
England/Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, as do the procedures for
making the change.  

However, the main options available are as follows:

1.  A child's forename can be changed on the official birth records if the
change is made soon after birth.  

2.  A child's surname can be changed on the birth records from the mother's
to the father's surname under some circumstances, and in some
jurisdictions.

3.  If a person changes gender and obtains a Gender Recognition
Certificate, a new birth certificate can be issued.  


A colleague of mine in the UK tells me that it is also possible for an
individual to get a new birth certificate as a participant in a Witness
Protection program.  

I could find no details about this particular option, which is not
surprising, as by its very nature, the specifics of a program like this are
kept secret.  However, it seems likely that a change of identity through a
Witness Protection Program comes closest to the sort of identity "reset
button" you were asking about.  

I trust this information fully meets your needs, but if there's anything
more I can do for you, just let me know by posting a Clarification
request.

All the best,

David

Uclue Researcher Comment by Researcher Roger Browne (eiffel) on Wed 22 Apr 2009 - 2:39 pm UTC:

If you get a new birth certificate after being issued a Gender Recognition
Certificate, the new birth certificate can also include a completely new
name, without the need for a Deed Poll.

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