Deed polls (change of name record)
We hold deed poll records registered with the Queensland Supreme Court in various districts across Queensland up until 2004. You may need to contact different agencies for deed poll records, depending on where they were lodged and when.
Finding your deed poll records
For the Southern Supreme Court District:
- 1857 to Jan 2004—contact Queensland State Archives
- Feb 2004 onwards—contact Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
For the Central Supreme Court District:
- 1896 to Jan 2004—contact Rockhampton Supreme Court
- Feb 2004 onwards—contact Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
For the Northern Supreme Court District:
- 1874 to 1950—contact Queensland State Archives
- 1951 to Jan 2004—contact Townsville Supreme Court
- Feb 2004 onwards—contact Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
Finding another person’s deed poll record
To assist you with finding records held at Queensland State Archives for another person, you first will need to have access permission granted by the Supreme Court. This is only required for deed poll records less than 100 years old. We don’t hold deed poll or name change records for the Central Supreme Court District.
To seek access permission for records from:
- Southern Supreme Court District, apply to the Brisbane Supreme Court
- Northern Supreme Court District, apply to the Townsville Supreme Court.
What we don’t have
We only hold deed poll or change of name records lodged with the Queensland Supreme Court. If a person changed their name informally or through marriage or divorce, there will not be a formal change of name record.
We also don’t hold deed poll or change of name records from any registries after 1 February 2004. These are held by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Contact the Registry to access these records. You can also search historical records held by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages online.
Order a deed poll record
Email info@archives.qld.gov.au and provide as much detail as possible about the deed poll or change of name, including:
- where it was originally lodged
- approximately when it was lodged
- the original and new names.
We also require valid photographic ID, such as a passport or driver license to provide a certified copy of a deed poll record. There is a charge involved with processing this request—see the full list of our charges.
Urgent requests
If you need your deed poll or change of name document quickly, mark your written request as urgent.
Contact us
Please contact us if you have questions about accessing your deed poll or change of name records or need further assistance.