Civil Documentation
This is the right route if you need your change of name to be recognised by a passport office, a bank, a university, a land registry or a government employer. A newspaper notice on its own is not enough for those bodies. If you only need to fix a spelling error on one document, a correction route is usually faster and cheaper - see the comparison below.
A change of name is published in the Gazette of India, Part IV, by the Department of Publication. Inamdar Legal reviews your documents, drafts the affidavit and the prescribed proforma, prepares the soft copy and the full application file, and coordinates the newspaper notice. The Department accepts an application only when it is submitted personally or sent by post or courier - it does not permit agents or advocates to submit on your behalf, so the signed file is dispatched by you.
At a glance
Answer two questions and we will tell you which process usually applies - including when a Gazette notification is probably unnecessary.
Likely route
Tell us a little more
Select what you are trying to fix
Choose an option to see the route that usually applies.
This tool gives general information about how the process usually works. It is not legal advice and it does not replace a review of your actual documents. Where a Gazette notification is needed, the Department of Publication accepts the application only when it is submitted personally or sent by post or courier.
Three different problems are often described as a "name change". Establishing which one applies to you is the first step.
| Your situation | Usual route | Gazette needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Your name is legally changing (full change, or a change you intend to use everywhere) | Gazette change of name + updates to each record | Yes |
| Your name is spelled wrongly on one or more records, but it is the same name | Correction with the issuing authority; a public notice in the Gazette is used where the authority insists | Often not - depends on the authority |
| Different documents show materially different names, but they all refer to you | One and the same person affidavit, and corrections at each authority | Usually not |
| School, birth or revenue records carry an error | Correction application to the issuing authority, supported by affidavit | Usually not |
The applicant signs the proforma in the old name, with two witnesses, and gives father's or husband's name and residential address.
A separate minor guideline applies. The parent or guardian applies on the child's behalf; the original full newspaper page and photographs of both the guardian and the child are required.
The deed must be attested by the Indian Embassy or High Commission and sent in original. Higher official charges apply.
A deed for change of name is submitted in accordance with Ministry of Home Affairs O.M. 190016/1/87-Estt. dated 12/03/1987. The official charge is the same as for other adults.
The same Gazette route applies where a record-holder requires it. Marriage registration and the Gazette process are separate steps.
Change of religion and adoption of a name or surname associated with another religion attract a different official charge. See the fee table.
Newspaper advertisement
One daily local leading newspaper
The Department requires the change of name to be advertised in one daily local leading newspaper, stating father's or husband's name and residential address. The original newspaper is forwarded with the application.
How the application reaches the Department
Personally, or by post or courier
The guidelines state that an application submitted personally or sent by Post/Courier only will be entertained, and that no other channel is permissible, viz. agents, advocates, etc.
Where it is filed
Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054
Age of documents
Not older than one year
Documents must not be older than one year at the time of submission.
Publication
Gazette of India, Part IV (weekly)
The gazette is e-published. You download your own copy from egazette.gov.in; no certification from the Department is required.
Public dealing hours
10:00-13:00 and 14:00-16:00 on working days
Documents are not returned
Neither originals nor photocopies
The Department states that documents once submitted will not be returned in any circumstances. Retain your own certified copies before dispatch.
The Department prescribes a specific set of papers. Missing any one of them is the usual reason an application comes back.
| Type of notice | Official charge | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Change of name - adult (major) | Rs. 1,100 | Gazette of India, Part IV |
| Change of name - minor | Rs. 1,700 | Gazette of India, Part IV |
| Public notice (correction of name, change of sex, etc.) | Rs. 1,400 | Gazette of India, Part IV |
| Change of religion | Rs. 1,700 | Gazette of India, Part IV |
| Adoption notice | Rs. 1,700 | Gazette of India, Part IV |
| From abroad - adult (major) | Rs. 3,500 | Notice from Indian abroad |
| From abroad - minor | Rs. 5,100 | Notice from Indian abroad |
Payable through the Non-Tax Receipt Portal at bharatkosh.gov.in. For an applicant adopting a name or surname associated with another religion without changing religion, the guideline records Rs. 1,100 plus Rs. 250. Charges are revised by office order from time to time; confirm the current amount before paying.
Our fee depends on which route your documents actually require, how many records are involved, and whether a deficiency has to be corrected after filing. We set it out in writing after we have seen your documents, so that the official charges and our professional charges are never confused with each other.
We do not publish fixed packages or success claims, in keeping with the advertising restrictions that apply to advocates in India.
Or email support@inamdarlegal.com.
The Department permits an application to be submitted only personally or by post or courier. It states that no other channel is permissible, viz. agents, advocates, etc. So it matters that you know exactly which steps are ours and which are yours.
The Department's guidelines state expressly that an application submitted personally or sent by Post/Courier only will be entertained, and that no other channel is permissible, viz. agents, advocates, etc. We therefore do not submit, or purport to submit, an application on your behalf. Our engagement covers preparation, review and coordination, and the dispatch is made by you.
We read your records and confirm whether you need a change of name, a correction, or a one and the same person affidavit. If the Gazette is unnecessary we say so.
The affidavit, proforma, undertaking and certificate are drafted against the Department's prescribed specimen, with your name, parentage and address reproduced identically across every document.
The notice is published in one daily local leading newspaper in the correct wording, and the full original page is preserved for the file.
You sign the affidavit before a notary in your city and sign the proforma in your old name in front of two witnesses.
We compile the complete file in the required order and give you the addressing and the Bharatkosh payment details. The official charge is paid by you.
You submit the file personally, or send it by post or courier to the Controller of Publications, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054.
A complete application is forwarded to the Government of India Press for notification. Once published you download your own copy from egazette.gov.in.
The gazette copy is then used with Aadhaar, PAN, the passport office, banks, the revenue office and educational boards, each of which has its own procedure.
These are working ranges, not commitments. The Department does not guarantee a publication date.
Longer where records conflict and an additional linking affidavit is needed.
The Department states that it is not responsible for delay in printing on the part of the concerned Press, and it does not offer a guaranteed timeframe. We do not promise a publication date.
The Controller of Publications may reject any request found incomplete, vague, unlawful or misleading. These are the recurring causes.
A Gazette notification is not always the right answer. These are the situations we see most often where a different route fits better.
A surname or spelling differs between your passport and your Aadhaar
Usually a correction at each authority, supported by an affidavit, rather than a change of name
Your father's name is recorded differently across documents
Correction at the issuing authority; a linking affidavit where records must be reconciled
Your name appears in several forms across bank, property and identity records
One and the same person affidavit, sometimes with a public notice
A single wrong letter on a PAN card or mark sheet
Correction application to that authority; the Gazette is normally unnecessary
The name on a property document does not match your Aadhaar
Depends on whether the name changed or was mis-recorded; we check the chain of documents before advising
You have married and want to adopt your spouse's surname
Marriage registration first where not already done; a Gazette notification only if a record-holder requires it
A passport application has been returned asking for a name-change proof
Gazette notification is generally required in that situation
We have not paraphrased these from a competitor's website. Each link goes to the Department of Publication's own published document.
Official charges and procedures are revised from time to time. Confirm the current position before making any payment.
Our resource library explains the underlying law and the document-by-document detail.
Share your current ID proof, the exact new name you want, your father's or husband's name, your residential address and the reason for the change. We will confirm which route applies and what the file requires.
Based in Surat, Gujarat, India. We work with clients across India remotely.
