Name Change Document Preparation — Expert Help from Affidavit to Gazette Filing
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About Name Change
Gazette Name Change Process in India
Step 1 : Affidavit for Change of Name
The Affidavit should be printed on a 10 or 20-value Stamp paper and should be duly Notarized by the Notary Public; The Affidavit must include the details below:
- The Affidavit should be declared by the Old Name of the Applicant (known as Deponent).
- Details about the New Name should be mentioned.
- Father’s Name of the Applicant or the Name of the Husband (if the Applicant is a married female and has a valid ID proof with the Spouse Name).
- Residential Address to be mentioned as per the Aadhaar Card, if Applicant holds 2 addresses i.e. Current Address and Permanent Address then both can also be mentioned.
- Reason for Change of Name to be mentioned. For ex: Astrological, Numerological, or any other. Mentioning reason is not mandatory until and unless one is changing the Surname.
- Declaration stating that the facts in the Affidavit are true.
- Signature of the Deponent.
Sample of Name Change Affidavit
Name change affidavit
Step 2 : Newspaper Publication
Publish the Advertisement in one of the English leading newspaper and preserve at least 4-5 original copies of the Newspaper.
An important point that must be included in the details for Newspaper Publication for Change of Name:
- Old Name
- New Name
- Father’s/Husband’s Name
- Full Address
- Declaring the Change in Name
Sample of Name Change Advertisement in Newspaper
Name change page featured image - eDrafter
Step 3 : Publication in the Official Gazette of India
Publish Notification in the Gazette of India (Central Gazette) shall be done by submitting an Application along with the Payment receipt of the Required fees (payable online).
Prepare and send the following name change documents to the Department of Publication for publishing Notification of Change of Name:
- Request Letter along with the List of the Enclosed Name Change Documents.
- Name Change Affidavit duly Notarized (Original).
- Newspaper Publication (Original).
- Self-attested ID proofs reflecting the Old Name.
- The payment receipt needs to be attached.
- Two Passport-size photographs duly affixed.
- Two Hard Copies of Specimen of Name Change.
- Soft Copy of Specimen in a Compact Disc (C.D).
- A Certificate duly signed by the Applicant declaring hard copy and soft copy are same.
Sample of Gazette Document
Sample Gazette certificate — for reference only, issued by Government of India
Major Reasons for the Change of Name
- Due to Marriage: Women mostly change their Surname/Name after Marriage and this is one of the most common reasons for change of name.
- Due to Divorce: The female applicant generally prefers to use their Maiden Name afer Divorce.
- Astrological Reasons: People prefer changing their name due to Astrological and numerological reasons.
- Religious Conversions: If the Religion has been converted then people usually prefer changing their old religion name.
- Change of Gender: After changing the gender, people prefer changing their names.
- Dislike Current Name: If the person is not liking his/her name then they’re free to change it as per their choice.
Criteria of Changing Name in India
There are few criterias that you need to fulfill in order to change your name legally in India.
- The Person should attain a age of 18 years or above.
- For Minor’s name change, only guardians or parents can act as an applicant, Child being a minor cannot act as an applicant nor legally allowed to sign.
- The applicant should have a valid reason for the name change. The Gazette Department may reject applications with unclear or insufficient reasons.
- The Person should have a valid government ID proof reflecting the Old Name, In case of Multiple Old names an applicant need to furnish the ID proofs reflecting all Old Names otherwise the application shall not be entertained.
Watch this video to know more
Knowledgebase
Is eDrafter.in a government website?
No. eDrafter.in is a private document preparation service and has no affiliation with the Government of India or any government department. We help individuals prepare their name change documents correctly. Gazette publication fees are paid separately and directly by the customer to the Department of Publication via Bharatkosh.
Can i use my new name before getting the Gazette notification publication?
Applicant is not eligible to declare the Affidavit or any sort of Legal Document with the New name until the Gazette Certificate for Name Change is published.
Can i use any Stamp Paper value for Name Change Affidavit?
The stamp value should be used as prescribed by the concerned State government however most of the Affidavits get executed on a 10-value stamp paper and considered Legally valid.
What are the points to be remember while publishing name change advertisement in newspaper?
Points to be Remembered :
- Newspaper should be submitted in Original, Photocopy of the Newspaper or the Print shall be not accepted.
- At least 1 Newspaper needs to be submitted along with the other Name Change Documents of the Name Change Application.
- The Advertisement should not be cut off from the Newspaper, The Applicant needs to submit the First Main Page of the Newspaper and that particular page on which the Advertisement has been published while highlighting the Ad Text.
- In the case of the Name Change of a Minor, mentioning the Age of the Minor as well as using the word “Minor” is mandatory; for reference please check the below sample.
- In the case of the Name Change after Marriage, mentioning the Father as well as the Husband’s name is mandatory.
- If the Applicant is holding different names then mentioning all the Names while using “alias” is mandatory.
Before publishing the name change advertisement in a newspaper, always check the content of the advertisement and ensure that the above-mentioned points are correct and accurate.
What type of ID proofs are accepted by Gazette department for proof of my old name?
Gazette accepts only Government ID proof like Aadhaar, PAN Card, Driving License, and others; Bank Passbooks, LIC Documents, and school Documents shall not be accepted as proof of Old Name.
What is the Central Gazette fee of change of name?
The fees below are Government of India fees, payable directly by you to the
Department of Publication via the Bharatkosh portal. These are NOT paid to eDrafter.
- Name Change for Minor Child — ₹1,700 (Govt. fee, paid to Bharatkosh)
- Name Change for Adult / Govt. Employee — ₹1,100 (Govt. fee, paid to Bharatkosh)
- For Indian Living Abroad — ₹3,500 (Govt. fee, paid to Bharatkosh)
eDrafter charges a separate professional service fee for document preparation. See our packages for eDrafter pricing.
How to pay central gazette fee for Gazette Notification?
Kindly refer this video to know how to pay the Central Gazette Fee – Watch Video
How to download Central Gazette Notification of India?
The Notification gets published on each Working Saturday, Kindly download it and also take multiple printouts, and provide them to the Department where you want to change your name. Then, you can easily change your name in all the Documents.
You may refer to our Blog To learn How to Download Name Change Notification
What are the modes of submitting the name change application?
There are Two Modes of submitting the application; The First one is while visiting personally to the Gazette Office; Visiting Hours are: 10 am to 1 pm & 2 pm – 4 pm (Operational: Mon-Sat) and the Second one is to Post/Courier the Documents at their Address; you can use any normal courier service to courier the Name Change Documents.
If the Notification is urgent for you then we suggest opting for the First method i.e. while visiting personally as in this method Gazette takes less time for the publication as compared to the second method.
What should be the points to be remembered while submitting the documents to Gazette of India?
Points that an applicant should keep in mind to get the Name Change process done in Central Gazette –
- Name Change Documents that the applicant is enclosing should be at most One Year. Otherwise, they will not be acceptable to the Department of Publication.
- The Documents should be in a prescribed proforma provided by the Department of Publication. The Signatures in those documents should be from Old Name Only.
- Gazette do not accept the Applications pertaining Name Change/Correction in LIC Documents, Share Certificates & Property Documents.
- Pay the Publication Fee appropriately as fixed by the Department and make sure to take a Clear Print-out of the Payment receipt.
- Publish the Notification in the Central Gazette. It holds more power and better recognition as compared to the Notification of State Gazette.
