Apply for Name Change in India: The Application, Field by Field
Most articles about name change explain the process in outline. This one is for the moment you are sitting with the papers in front of you. Below is every item the Department of Publication asks for, how to fill the proforma, the specimen wording, and three requirements that appear in the Department's own guidelines and almost nowhere else. If you are ready to apply for a name change, work down this page in order.
How Does the Gazette Application Work?
A few minutes in plain Hindi on the gazette route: the affidavit, the newspaper notice, the file that goes to Delhi and how the entry is published.
Tap to play. The video opens in a privacy-friendly player, and this page then goes deeper than any video can: the seven-item checklist and the proforma, field by field.
Publish a notice in a daily local leading newspaper, then send seven things to the Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054: an undertaking, the original newspaper page, the proforma in duplicate signed by you and two witnesses, a soft copy in MS Word, a certificate that both match, two photographs with self-attested ID, and a request letter with the fee. Rs 1,100 for residents.
The application at a glance
- Where it goes
- Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054
- How it goes
- Personally, by post or by courier. There is no upload portal
- The proforma
- Typed, in duplicate, signed by you in your old name and by two witnesses
- The soft copy
- MS Word, no witness portion, old name typed in place of the signature
- The certificate
- A signed one-paragraph statement that hard and soft copies match
- The newspaper
- The whole original page, never a cutting
- The fee
- Rs 1,100 resident, Rs 1,700 minor, Rs 3,500 abroad, on bharatkosh.gov.in
- Dealing hours
- 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00 on working days
- Processing
- About 10 to 30 days from receipt; Part IV publishes Saturday
- Your copy
- Downloaded free from egazette.gov.in. No letter is sent to you
Key points before you post the envelope
- The proforma goes in duplicate, typed, signed by you and by two witnesses.
- Sign the proforma in your old name, not the new one.
- A soft copy in MS Word is required, without the witness portion, with the old name typed where the signature would go.
- A separate signed certificate must confirm the hard copy and soft copy contents are the same.
- Two witnesses must give full names, addresses and mobile numbers.
- Send the whole newspaper page in original, not a cutting.
- Documents once submitted are never returned.
Can You Apply for a Name Change Online?
Partly, and it is worth being precise, because the phrase "apply online" is used loosely across this topic.
Online
- Paying the fee, which happens on bharatkosh.gov.in
- Collecting your published entry, which you download free from egazette.gov.in
Not online
- The application itself. The Department's guidelines say the documents should either be submitted personally or be sent by post to the Controller of Publications
- There is no upload portal for the file, and no email submission
So a physical envelope has to reach Civil Lines in Delhi. Anyone offering to "apply online for you" is describing preparation, not filing. The same guidelines state that applications are entertained only through personal submission, post or courier, and name agents and advocates as not a permissible channel.
What Goes in the Envelope: The Complete Checklist
The Department's guidelines list these. Most articles carry four or five of them. All seven matter.
- 1. The undertaking, duly signed by you, showing the old and new names with your father's or husband's name and residential address.
- 2. The newspaper advertisement, submitted in original.
- 3. The prescribed proforma in duplicate, duly typed, with the signature of the applicant and two witnesses.
- 4. A soft copy containing the print matter without the witness portion, in MS Word, with the old name typed in place of the signature.
- 5. Two self-attested passport size photographs and a self-attested photocopy of your ID proof.
- 6. A certificate duly signed by you declaring that the contents of the hard copy and the soft copy are the same.
- 7. A request letter along with the requisite fee.
The Proforma, Field by Field
The Specimen Wording
The guidelines give the form of words the entry takes:
Type it exactly in that structure. Strike out the son, daughter or wife options that do not apply rather than deleting them, and fill the names precisely as they appear on your identity documents. Include your residential address as the guidelines require.
Spelling is the whole game here. The name in the proforma must match the affidavit and the newspaper notice letter for letter, including spacing. "Ravi Kumar" and "RaviKumar" are different names to the system that will later read your gazette entry.
Sign in Your Old Name, Not Your New One
A small rule that returns files. The signature on the proforma is made in your existing old name. You have not yet been published under the new one, so the person signing the application is still the person the records currently show.
It feels counterintuitive, and people who sign in the new name out of enthusiasm have to redo the form.
The Two Witnesses, and What They Must Provide
Two witnesses sign the proforma, and each must give a full name, an address and a mobile number. Not initials, not a partial address.
Choose witnesses who can be reached. The mobile number is asked for so that the entry can be verified if a question arises, and a number that does not answer is a problem you will not hear about until the file comes back.
Why It Must Be in Duplicate
Two typed copies, both signed by you and both witnesses. Not a photocopy of a signed original where the guidelines ask for signatures. Prepare two clean copies and sign both.
The Soft Copy Requirement Nobody Mentions
This is the single most useful thing on this page, because it appears in the Department's guidelines and on virtually no other website. Along with the paper file, you submit a soft copy of the print matter. Three rules govern it.
- It must be in MS Word, not a PDF and not a scan.
- It must not include the witness portion. The witnesses sign the paper proforma. Their block does not go into the digital text.
- Type your old name in place of the signature. Where the hard copy carries your handwritten signature, the soft copy carries your old name in typed text.
The reason is practical. The text you supply is what gets set for publication, so it has to be clean, machine-readable and free of anything that is not part of the published entry.
The Similarity Certificate
A separate short certificate, signed by you, declaring that the contents of the hard copy and the soft copy are the same.
It is one paragraph. It is also easy to forget entirely, because no summary of this process mentions it. Write it, sign it, and put it in the file.
The Undertaking
Signed by you, carrying your old name, your new name, your father's or husband's name and your residential address.
Where your application involves a change of religion, the guidelines require that to be declared in the newspaper as well as in the undertaking; the full picture is on our religion change guide. Where you are adopting a name associated with another religion while keeping your own religion, the undertaking is where you confirm that you are not converting, and that case carries its own fee of Rs 1,350, being Rs 1,100 plus Rs 250.
The Newspaper Notice, and What to Send
Publish in one daily local leading newspaper, stating your father's or husband's name along with your residential address. The guidelines ask for the notice to be forwarded in original.
Send the whole page. Not a cutting of your box, not a photocopy, not a screenshot. The page must show the newspaper's name and the date of publication. A trimmed clipping is one of the most common reasons a file is returned.
Many applicants publish in two papers, one local and one national, because banks, employers and consulates sometimes want to see both. One is what the Department's guidelines ask for.
Paying the Fee on BharatKosh
Payment goes through bharatkosh.gov.in, the Government's Non-Tax Receipt Portal. There is no cash counter at the Department and demand drafts are not accepted. Fee heads are revised from time to time, commonly each financial year, so confirm the exact head on the portal before paying.
| Applicant | Fee |
|---|---|
| Resident adult | Rs 1,100 |
| Minor | Rs 1,700 |
| Indian citizen living abroad | Rs 3,500 |
| Adopting a name of another religion without changing religion | Rs 1,350, being Rs 1,100 plus Rs 250, with an undertaking |
On the portal you select the ministry and department the payment belongs to and the purpose, then pay by card, net banking or UPI. A payment made against the wrong head is slow to trace. Print the challan or receipt and put it in the file.
If you are applying from abroad and your card is refused, a family member in India can make the payment against your application details.
The Covering Request Letter
Short and plain. Address it to the Controller of Publications, state that you are applying for publication of a change of name in Part IV of the Gazette of India, list what you have enclosed, give the challan reference, and sign it with your contact number and email.
The enclosure list is worth writing properly. It is the first thing anyone opening your envelope reads, and it lets them see at a glance that nothing is missing.
Assembling and Sending the File
- 1. Lay out all seven items and tick them against the checklist above.
- 2. Self-attest every photocopy. Unsigned copies come back.
- 3. Check that the name is spelt identically on the undertaking, the newspaper page, both proforma copies and the soft copy.
- 4. Confirm nothing in the file is more than a year old. The guidelines are explicit that documents must not be older than one year.
- 5. Never enclose an original certificate you cannot replace. Documents once submitted are not returned in any circumstances.
- 6. Address the envelope to the Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054.
- 7. Send by Speed Post or courier, or hand it in personally during public dealing hours. Keep the tracking number.
One aside before you post anything: if what you are really fixing is an error on the underlying record itself, a birth certificate mistake for instance, that is a correction by the Registrar of Births and Deaths under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, at the issuing municipal body, not a gazette application at all.
After You Apply: What Happens Next
Entries are printed in Part IV of the Gazette of India, which is published weekly on Saturday. Ordinary processing runs about 10 to 30 days from receipt, so most applicants are looking at their entry within four to six weeks of posting.
You will not usually receive a letter telling you it has been published. You check for yourself at egazette.gov.in, searching the weekly Part IV issue by your name or by date, and download the PDF free. Printed copies stopped being issued on 1 October 2015, and the downloaded PDF is valid as it stands, with no attestation needed.
A search tip from the Department's own guidelines: open the weekly Part IV PDF and use Ctrl+F to find your old or new name inside it, then save the whole gazette as your copy. The switch to e-publishing was made by Gazette of India Issue No. 602, Extraordinary, Part II Section 3(i) dated 30 September 2015, which is why no printed copy exists to ask for.
If several weeks pass with nothing, telephone during public dealing hours with your Speed Post tracking number and challan reference to hand.
Why Applications Come Back
File contents
- A trimmed newspaper cutting instead of the full page.
- The proforma sent as a single copy rather than in duplicate.
- The soft copy missing, or supplied as a PDF, or still containing the witness portion.
- The similarity certificate missing.
- Unsigned photocopies.
Details and payment
- The proforma signed in the new name.
- Witness details incomplete, usually a missing mobile number or address.
- A spelling difference between the undertaking, the newspaper notice and the proforma.
- A document older than one year.
- Short payment, most often an applicant abroad paying the resident fee of Rs 1,100 instead of Rs 3,500.
Nine of those ten are avoidable with an hour of checking before the envelope is sealed.
Applying From Abroad
Same file, three differences. The fee is Rs 3,500. Your affidavit is best sworn before the Indian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate where you live, since a document from an Indian Mission needs no further legalisation for use in India. And you attach your passport copy, visa or residence permit page and overseas address proof.
Allow 45 to 60 days rather than 15 to 45, because international courier time is added at both ends. The full remote process, country by country, is on our NRI name change page.
Applying for a Minor
Both parents apply and both sign, at the fee of Rs 1,700. Add the child's birth certificate, school ID and both parents' identity proof and signed consent to the file. Everything else on this page applies unchanged.
Whether a child's case needs the gazette at all, and the school and board timing that matters more, is on our minor name change guide.
What It Costs to Apply
A resident adult application comes to roughly Rs 1,750 to Rs 3,600 all in.
| Item | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Gazette fee, resident adult | Rs 1,100 | Government, on BharatKosh |
| Gazette fee, minor | Rs 1,700 | Government, on BharatKosh |
| Gazette fee, Indian citizen living abroad | Rs 3,500 | Government, on BharatKosh |
| Stamp paper and notary for the affidavit | Rs 100 to Rs 500 | Local notary |
| Newspaper notice | Rs 400 to Rs 1,500 | The newspaper |
| Printing, photographs and stationery | Rs 100 to Rs 300 | Local |
| Speed Post or courier to Delhi | Rs 50 to Rs 200 | India Post or courier |
Apply for a Name Change From Any State
The application is central. One address in Delhi serves the whole country, and the file travels by Speed Post from anywhere, so the process is identical from every state below.
The wider process is in our name change process in India guide, and the full price list is on name change service in India.
Get help with your application
All contact options and office directions are on our contact page.
If you would rather have the file built and checked than assemble it yourself, send us a photo of your Aadhaar and the exact new name you want. We draft the undertaking and affidavit, write and book the newspaper notice, prepare the proforma and the soft copy, generate the challan and check every page against the checklist above. You post the envelope, because the Department requires the applicant side to do that.
- 📞Call 9540003316
Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM - WhatsApp 9540005064
A photo of your Aadhaar and the exact new name is enough to start - ✉️support@namechange.in
- 📍Burari Metro Station Pillar No. 337, Street No. 1, 1st Shop, Building No. 31/12, Hardev Nagar, Delhi 110084
Applying for a Name Change: The Questions People Ask Most
Can I apply for a name change online in India?
Only partly. The fee is paid on bharatkosh.gov.in and the gazette is downloaded from egazette.gov.in, but the application file itself must be submitted personally or sent by post or courier.
Where do I send my name change application?
To the Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054.
What documents go with the application?
An undertaking, the original newspaper page, the proforma in duplicate signed by you and two witnesses, a soft copy in MS Word, a similarity certificate, two photographs with self-attested ID, and a request letter with the fee.
Do I sign the proforma in my old name or new name?
In your old name. You have not been published under the new one yet.
How many witnesses do I need?
Two, each giving a full name, address and mobile number.
How much is the application fee?
Rs 1,100 for a resident adult, Rs 1,700 for a minor and Rs 3,500 for an Indian citizen living abroad.
How will I know my name has been published?
You check yourself at egazette.gov.in in the weekly Part IV issue. No letter is sent to you.
What is the name change proforma format?
It follows the specimen wording beginning "I hitherto known as", typed, in duplicate, signed by you in your old name and by two witnesses.
What is the name change undertaking format?
A signed statement giving your old and new names, your father's or husband's name and your residential address.
How do I check my gazette name change application status?
There is no online tracker. Search the weekly Part IV issue at egazette.gov.in, or call during public dealing hours with your tracking number.
How do I pay the name change application fee?
Only on bharatkosh.gov.in. Print the challan for the file.
Why do name change applications get rejected?
Usually a trimmed newspaper cutting, a missing soft copy or similarity certificate, a spelling mismatch, or short payment.
Frequently Asked Questions on Applying for a Name Change
Is there an online application portal?
What is the address?
What are the public dealing hours?
Can an agent submit it for me?
Does the proforma really need to be in duplicate?
What format should the soft copy be in?
The guidelines mention a CD. Is that still used?
What is the similarity certificate?
Can I send a photocopy of the newspaper?
How old can my documents be?
Will my documents be returned?
How long does it take?
How do I get my gazette copy?
What if I paid the wrong fee?
Can I apply for two people in one file?
Can I add an alias name to my entry?
What if my published entry has a mistake?
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Official Sources for This Page
Check the checklist above against the Department's own document. That is what it is there for.
- Department of Publication, Guidelines for Change of Name for AdultThe seven-item submission list, the specimen wording, the duplicate proforma, the soft copy rule, the similarity certificate, the fee schedule, the one-year rule, the non-return of documents and the agents-not-permitted line.
- The Gazette of India, e-Gazette portalSearch and download the published Part IV entry free of cost.
- BharatKosh, the Non-Tax Receipt PortalThe fee payment, and the place to confirm the current head before paying.
- India Post, Speed PostTracked delivery of the envelope to Civil Lines, Delhi 110054.
- Civil Registration System, Office of the Registrar General of IndiaBirth record corrections under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, for cases that are corrections rather than name changes.
Final Word on Applying for a Name Change
Everything on this page in ten lines
- The application is not difficult. It is fussy, which is a different problem and an easier one, because fussiness rewards checking.
- Seven items go in the envelope: undertaking, original newspaper page, proforma in duplicate, soft copy, similarity certificate, photographs with ID, and the request letter with the fee.
- The proforma follows the "I hitherto known as" specimen wording, typed, and signed in your old name by you and two witnesses with full details.
- The soft copy is MS Word, without the witness portion, with the old name typed in place of the signature.
- The similarity certificate is one signed paragraph confirming both copies match, and it is forgotten more than any other item.
- The fee is Rs 1,100 resident, Rs 1,700 minor, Rs 3,500 abroad, on bharatkosh.gov.in only.
- The envelope goes to the Controller of Publications, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, by Speed Post, courier or in person. There is no upload portal.
- Part IV publishes Saturday; processing runs about 10 to 30 days; you find your own entry on egazette.gov.in, since no letter comes.
- Files come back for a trimmed cutting, a single-copy proforma, a missing soft copy or certificate, a wrong-name signature, or short payment.
- Three things separate a file that publishes from one that returns: the full newspaper page, the soft copy plus certificate, and one identical spelling on every sheet.
Rather have the file built and checked before it goes?
Send a photo of your Aadhaar and the exact new name on WhatsApp, or call before 6 PM. We prepare every item on the checklist; you post the envelope, as the Department requires.