Deed polls (change of name record)
We hold deed poll records that were registered with the Queensland Supreme Court in various districts across Queensland up until 2004. However, there are gaps in these records and some records are held by other agencies.
Finding deed poll records
You will need to contact different agencies for deed poll records, depending on where they were lodged and when.
For the Supreme Court Southern District:
- 1857 to Jan 2004—contact Queensland State Archives
- Feb 2004 onwards—contact Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
For the Supreme Court Central District:
- 1896 to Jan 2004—contact Supreme Court Rockhampton
- Feb 2004 onwards—contact Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
For the Supreme Court Northern District:
- 1874 to 1950—contact Queensland State Archives
- 1951 to Jan 2004—contact Supreme Court Townsville
- Feb 2004 onwards—contact Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
Please note: Deed poll records can only be supplied to the person a record relates to. We are unable to assist you with records for another person unless you have received access permission from the relevant Supreme Court. To seek access permission for records from:
- Southern or Central Supreme Court District, you need to apply to the Supreme Court of Queensland
- Northern Supreme Court District, you need to apply to the Townsville Supreme Court
What we don’t have
We don’t hold deed poll or change of name records that were not lodged with the Queensland Supreme Court. For example, if a person changed their name of repute informally or because of 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 1 February 2004 onwards. 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 will charge you to provide a certified copy of a deed poll record—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.