Same Name Affidavit Form Template for England and Wales

A same-name affidavit is a sworn statement confirming that two or more different name spellings or variations refer to the same person. It is commonly used to reconcile discrepancies in official documents such as passports, title deeds, birth certificates, or mortgage documents where names differ due to clerical error or name change.

An affidavit must be sworn before a solicitor who holds a commissioner for oaths appointment, a commissioner for oaths, a notary public, or a court officer. High street solicitors routinely offer this service. The deponent signs in the official's presence, who then countersigns the jurat confirming the oath was duly administered.

Both are sworn documents, but an affidavit is used in or in support of court proceedings and must follow the Civil Procedure Rules format. A statutory declaration under the Statutory Declarations Act 1835 is used for non-contentious administrative purposes, such as correcting a name on a bank account or insurance policy, and is often accepted by UK institutions.

The affidavit should state the deponent's full legal name, their date of birth, the variant name or names to be confirmed, the documents in which each name appears, and the reason for the discrepancy such as a spelling error or translation. Exhibits of the relevant documents should be attached and referred to in the text.

HM Land Registry accepts statutory declarations to explain discrepancies between a seller's identity and the name on the title register. The registry's guidance specifies what the declaration must say and may require the conveyancer to be satisfied as to the deponent's identity. An affidavit may also be acceptable in some cases.

No. A deed poll formally changes a person's name going forward. A same-name affidavit confirms that two name versions already in existence refer to the same individual without changing any name. The appropriate document depends on whether the goal is to standardise future use of a new name or to explain an existing discrepancy.

There is no statutory expiry date for a same-name affidavit. However, institutions such as banks, mortgage lenders, or the Land Registry may decline to accept a very old document and request a fresh sworn statement. In practice, a document sworn within the last two to three years is generally accepted without question.

Solicitors and commissioners for oaths typically charge a small fixed fee to administer the oath, usually between 5 and 15 pounds per document under standard Law Society guidelines, though independent notaries may charge more. The fee covers the swearing service only and does not include any fee for drafting the document.