How to Legally Change Your Name in Sierra Leone with the GO-FOR-GOLD Program
Changing your name in Sierra Leone is legal. If you want your new name to appear on your naturalisation certificate and passport, the name-change Deed Poll must be submitted before your naturalisation application.
Here is the step-by-step process we follow -
a. For Legal Change of Name DURING the Fast Track Citizenship Application Process
b. For a Legal Change of Name AFTER approval and issue of the Letter & Certificate of Naturalisation.
For Legal Change of Name DURING the Fast Track Citizenship Application Process
1. Choose your new name
- Decide on the new name you want.
2. Fill in the Deed Poll Document
A Deed Poll is a one-page document that, in essence, states: “I am changing my name from X to Y.”
We (or our Official Partner) will provide this Deed Poll form to you.
What you are required to do:
- Fill in the pre-marked sections. 1.
- Upload it to us (unsigned and undated) so we can include it with your Document Certification Pack that goes to our notary. 2.
- Sign it in front of our in-house Notary Public when we certify your uploaded application documents and you swear your oath. (if you have selected the self-certify option for notarised documents, you will sign BUT NOT DATE your deed poll document in front of your own notary) 3.
3. We register your Deed Poll
After you sign the Deed Poll:
- Our on-the-ground team in Sierra Leone take it to the Ministry of Justice.
- It is registered and certified.
- After registration, your new name is official and legal.
4. We submit your naturalisation application
- We submit your naturalisation application together with the registered Deed Poll.
- The immigration department requires the name-change document at the time of application.
- This ensures your naturalisation certificate and passport will show your new name.
All documents generated during this process — including the registered Deed Poll and all other identity documents must be congruent to the issuance timeline of the date of Naturalisation
Legal Change of Name FAQ's
How We Change Your Name If You Are ALREADY A Naturalised Citizen via a GO-FOR-GOLD Program
1. Name Changes After Naturalisation
Once an applicant has received their Letter of Naturalisation, they are already a Sierra Leonean citizen under the name stated in that letter. From that point onward, any change of name is handled exactly the same way it is handled for any other private citizen of Sierra Leone - through the submission of a Deed Poll.
This is a civil identity matter, not a citizenship matter.
2. What a Deed Poll Does
A Deed Poll:
- Creates a new legal name going forward, from the date it is executed.
- Does not alter the Letter of Naturalisation or any historical records.
- Does not require a new citizenship process or additional due diligence.
Official Partners should note:
A Deed Poll never amends past documents — it only governs the person’s legal identity after execution.
3. Passports and Timing
The name that appears on the passport depends solely on the timing:
- If the Deed Poll is executed before applying for a passport:
The passport can be issued in the new legal name.
- If the Deed Poll is executed after the Certificate of Naturalisation and a passport has been applied for:
The existing passport will remain in the old name.
If the applicant wants a passport in the new name, they must apply for a replacement passport.
Besides our standard Legal Change of Name fees, this is the only cost implication.
There are no additional citizenship fees or steps.
4. Required Documents for a Passport After a Name Change
To issue or re-issue a passport in the new name, the applicant provides:
- Executed Deed Poll 1.
- Letter of Naturalisation (this will be in the ORIGINAL name of the applicant if the deed poll was submitted AFTER the Certificate of Naturalisation was issued) 2.
- Standard passport application in the new legal name 3.
- Standard passport photographs. 4.
- Passport fees are included in the Legal Change of Name fees 5.
No additional forms, attestations, or internal processing are required.
5. Key Points for Partners
- Partners must not treat a post-naturalisation name change as part of the citizenship process.
- Partners must not request new naturalisation documents or expect revised approvals — under Sierra Leone law these do not exist.
- Partners must manage client expectations around passport issue timelines if the client changes their name after submission of their citizenship application or receiving their passport (please see the process for applying for a Legal Change of name WITH a Fast Track Citizenship application above).
- If partners are unsure, they should refer clients to this web page guidance.
Summary
A Deed Poll name change after naturalisation is a straightforward civil identity update.
It has no effect on citizenship status, requires no new citizenship processing, and only affects the name printed on any future passport. Our team are able to process all of this remotely for you.
If a passport has already been issued, a replacement passport can be requested by completing a new passport application.