Deed Poll for Name Change in Hong Kong
Instant Issuance, Affordable Fee: $500
To change your name in Hong Kong, you must have a lawyer draft a Deed Poll, which can be issued instantly. The fee is also affordable, only $500. Once you have a Deed Poll, you can go to the Immigration Department’s Personal Registration Offices to change your ID card. The Immigration Department charges $420 for this service.
A Deed Poll is a legal document that consists of only one page and is signed by the person changing their name in the presence of a lawyer. The content is a self-declaration to abandon the use of the old name and to use the new name thereafter. Without a Deed Poll, the Immigration Department will not accept the applicant’s use of the new name to obtain an ID card. Many procedures, such as marriage and certificates, cannot be processed using the new name. Therefore, to use a new name, you must first create a Deed Poll.
The name on the birth certificate is a permanent record and cannot be changed. To prove that the old name on the birth certificate and the new name on the ID card belong to the same person, a Deed Poll is required. Other old documents, such as graduation certificates and marriage certificates, also need to be proved to be the same person using a Deed Poll.
The maximum number of Chinese characters is six, and there is no restriction on the characters used, but they must be characters (Chinese characters or English characters). Even some vulgar characters can be used, but in reality, no one will change their name to a name that is unpleasant, vulgar or offensive. On the contrary, people who change their names usually do so because they find their current names unpleasant or because of Feng Shui or numerology.
Name Change, Surname Change
Minors (under 18 years old) must have their parents decide and sign the Deed Poll to change their names because they are minors. If the surname is changed, both parents must agree.
The surname can also be changed, and the procedure is the same. Minors must have the consent of both parents. A person’s name is just a “personal registration” information, and it is okay not to have an English name.
