Get Expert Guidance for Name Change Process
Name Change Online in India
About Name Change
The film industry legend ‘Amitabh Bachchan’ changed his name. Yes, you read it right. After appearing with his original name, ‘Amitabh Srivastav’ in Saat Hindustani, This is his first film that turned out to be unsuccessful. He decided to make some changes to his name.
There are many celebrities who have changed their names due to numerological or astrological reasons. Nowadays, name change is a basic thing, and people get their name changed for various reasons, whether due to astrological reasons, marriage, or simply because they do not like their name. Thinking about getting the name changed is easy, but the name change procedure in India is a bit tricky and involves a lengthy process.
We at eDrafter help the customers get their name changed while providing them with assistance in professionally drafting the name change documents and making sure that each draft meets the guidelines of the Central Gazette for change of name. So whether you are changing your name after marriage or after Divorce or for any other reason, you can rely on eDrafter for changing your name.
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
Step 2 : Newspaper Publication
Publish the Advertisement in two local leading newspapers of the State i.e. one in the Local Newspaper where the applicant belongs and one in 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
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 (If having more than one old name(s) then attach ID proofs reflecting all the names).
- The payment receipt needs to be attached. Please note that the Fees need to be Payable at the Bharatkosh Website.
- Two Passport-size photographs duly affixed under the Specimen and the Cross-signature of the Applicant.
- Two Hard Copies of Specimen of Name Change duly filled as per the prescribed format.
- Soft Copy of Specimen in a Compact Disc (C.D) . In a Soft Copy, remove the Signature and Witness Column from the Format of Specimen.
- A Certificate duly signed by the Applicant declaring or stating that the content of the hard copy and soft copy that the applicant provided is the same.
Sample of Gazette Document
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 Person should have a valid reason for Name change. Invalid or illogical reasons shall not be entertained by the Gazette Department.
- 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.
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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.
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.
The Name Change cost in India for Publication are as below:
- For Name Change of Minor Child – Rs. 1,700/-
- Name Change for Major/Govt. Employee – Rs. 1,100/-
- For Indian Living Abroad – Rs. 3,500/-
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
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.
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.