Ireland

What do I do first?

You can work on your name change whether or not you also want legal recognition of your gender. For your name alone, first ask the organisations you need to update what proof they accept. If you want your gender legally recognised too, start with the Gender Recognition Certificate section — that application can include your new name.

A deed poll is a signed document saying you are giving up your previous name and will use your new one. You do not automatically have to put it on the court’s register. Some organisations ask for this, so check before paying.

Putting a deed poll on that register is called “enrolment”. It makes the change publicly searchable. An Irish passport has different rules: the Passport Service does not accept deed polls as proof for a name-only change.

If you need a deed poll on the court register

This adult process is for people aged 18 or over who live permanently in the Republic of Ireland. Use the Courts Service forms.

Your witness has two jobs: signing the deed poll, then making a sworn statement confirming they witnessed it. This statement is called an Affidavit of Attesting Witness. They make it before a practising solicitor or a Commissioner for Oaths — someone authorised to witness sworn statements.

1. Fill in the adult deed-poll form and sign with a witness aged 18 or over. Include proof of any earlier name changes.
2. Get copies of your birth certificate, photo ID and other required supporting documents certified. This means a Garda, practising solicitor or Commissioner for Oaths checks and confirms the copies. For this part, the court asks for certified copies, not the original identity documents.
3. Arrange your witness’s sworn statement. Pay the €60 stamp duty, complete the Request to Enrol form and send the full pack with the required return envelope. Witnessing, copies and postage can cost extra.
4. If you are not a citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA) or the UK, check with Immigration Service Delivery whether you need a change-of-name licence before enrolling. There are exemptions. Where a licence is needed, the €13 fee is paid after approval.
5. The court currently estimates 8–10 weeks after receiving the documents, or after receiving them again if corrections are needed. Other organisations will take their own time to update your records.

Changing your name and getting your gender recognised

A Gender Recognition Certificate, often shortened to GRC, officially recognises your gender. The application form is called GRC1. You can put your chosen first name and surname on it without getting a deed poll.

For an adult application, you need to meet one of the rules about an Irish birth, adoption or foreign-birth registration. There is also a route for people born outside Ireland who have been ordinarily resident — normally living in Ireland — for at least 12 months before applying. Check which rule fits you; Irish citizenship alone does not settle this.

There is no government fee to consider the application. You may still pay for witnessing, documents or postage.

1. Choose the exact spelling you want. Once the certificate is issued, its name can only be changed to correct a clerical or factual error.
2. Complete GRC1 and gather the birth, photo-ID and residence evidence listed for your situation.
3. Have the declaration on the form witnessed by a solicitor, Notary Public, Commissioner for Oaths or Peace Commissioner. These are the witnesses the guidance allows. Send the application as the form directs.
4. After the certificate is issued, the Department of Social Protection updates your linked PPS record — the record attached to your public services number.
5. If you can get a revised Irish birth certificate, apply separately to the office holding that record. An Irish GRC does not change a birth certificate issued by another country.

Getting your new name on an Irish passport

The documents you need depend on whether you are changing your name only or also using the gender-recognition process. First-time passport applications need extra proof of nationality, identity, birth and address.

1. Name only: provide two original documents from two different sources showing two years of using your new name. At least one must be government correspondence. You also need valid government photo ID in your new name. Payslips, bills and leases are examples of name-use documents. A deed poll is not accepted.
2. Gender-recognition renewal, living in Ireland: the published checklist asks for your original Irish Gender Recognition Certificate and current passport.
3. Gender-recognition renewal, living in Northern Ireland or elsewhere abroad: the published checklist asks for a statutory declaration — a formally witnessed statement — two years of name-use documents and your current passport. If you have an Irish GRC and live abroad, ask the Passport Service to confirm what you should send.
4. If you receive a new passport in your previous name, the two-year name-use period can start again. If your passport will expire before you have two years of evidence, contact the Passport Service before applying: its guidance allows possible exceptions.

Your public services, tax and driving licence

The Department of Social Protection is often shortened to DSP. It manages the name and gender recorded against your PPS number. Start there for these records, then work through the cards and accounts you need.

1. Public Services Card: a name change needs an in-person appointment and a new signature. Ask which documents to bring. Even if your PPS record has changed, your physical card still needs attention.
2. Tax: Revenue changes your name and gender after DSP updates your PPS record. Tell your employer separately and check your next payslip.
3. Driving licence online, using a deed poll: update DSP first. You need a Public Services Card and a verified MyGovID account.
4. Driving licence in person: NDLS, the National Driver Licence Service, lists an original Irish court-enrolled deed poll OR acceptable photo ID in your new name, along with its other required documents. If you are using a GRC, ask NDLS to confirm your document list.

Telling everyone else

Use the checklist below for banks, work, healthcare and everyday accounts. You only need to work through the ones you have. Each organisation may ask for different proof.

Before posting an original document, keep a note of what you sent and how it will be returned. Check whether a certified copy — a copy checked by an authorised person — will do instead.

If you have an immigration application or Irish Residence Permit, ask Immigration Service Delivery how to update both. Getting a change-of-name licence does not update a residence permit.

If someone refuses an update, ask what proof they need and how to complain. You can also ask who can see your previous name and how they keep it separate from the details they use now. Some historical records may need to be kept.