How to Change Your Name in Delhi: The One City Where You Can Walk In
Everyone else in India posts their name change file to Delhi and waits. If you live here, you can carry it in yourself, ask a question at the counter, and fix a returned file the same week. That is a real advantage and almost no Delhi page uses it. Below is how to change your name in Delhi properly, including the full document checklist and two requirements that appear in the department's own guidelines and nowhere else.
How Does a Name Change in Delhi Work?
A few minutes in plain Hindi on the name change in Delhi: the gazette office at Civil Lines, the file that goes in, and how the entry publishes.
Tap to play. The video opens in a privacy-friendly player, and the written version below goes further, starting with the walk-in advantage and what the ranking pages get wrong.
Swear a notarised affidavit, publish a notice in a daily Delhi newspaper, then submit your file to the Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, in person or by post, for publication in the Gazette of India, Part IV. The fee is Rs 1,100 for an adult, paid on bharatkosh.gov.in. Most files publish in 15 to 45 days.
Name change in Delhi at a glance
- The office
- Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, in north Delhi
- Public dealing hours
- 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00 on working days
- Getting there
- Yellow Line, Civil Lines or Vidhan Sabha, then a short auto
- The fee
- Rs 1,100 adult, fixed. Rs 1,700 minor, Rs 3,500 abroad
- How to pay
- Only bharatkosh.gov.in. No cash at the counter, no demand drafts
- The file
- Seven items, including a soft copy and a similarity certificate
- Which gazette
- Gazette of India, Part IV. The Delhi Gazette is a different publication
- Newspapers
- One daily local leading paper per the guidelines. Two is optional
- Timeline
- About 2 to 5 weeks total, with no courier time at either end
- Your copy
- Free download from egazette.gov.in. No letter is sent to you
Key points for Delhi applicants
- The gazette office is here. You can submit in person during public dealing hours instead of couriering.
- The Government fee is Rs 1,100 for an adult. It is fixed, not a range.
- The Delhi Gazette and the Gazette of India are two different publications. Yours is the second one.
- The file has seven items, not the four or five most guides list.
- Payment is only through bharatkosh.gov.in. Nobody at the office takes cash.
- Documents must not be older than one year, and nothing you submit is returned.
Delhi's One Real Advantage: You Can Hand the File In Yourself
The Department of Publication sits in Civil Lines, in north Delhi. Public dealing runs 10:00 to 13:00 and again 14:00 to 16:00 on working days.
For a resident of Chennai or Kochi, that address is a courier destination and a two-week wait each way. For you it is a morning. Three things that buys you:
- You skip courier risk entirely. No tracking anxiety, no file lost in transit, no wondering whether it arrived.
- You can ask before you file. If something in the guidelines is ambiguous for your case, the counter is the right place to resolve it. That is worth more than any blog, this one included.
- A returned file costs you days, not weeks. Applicants elsewhere lose a month discovering a problem and posting a corrected file. You can often fix and resubmit inside the same week.
You can still post it if a trip to Civil Lines is awkward. Speed Post and courier are both accepted. The point is that you have the choice and most applicants do not.
What the Top-Ranking Delhi Pages Get Wrong
We read what currently ranks for this search and checked it against the Department of Publication's own guidelines. Three claims repeat across page one, and all three are wrong or out of date.
"Two newspapers are mandatory, one English and one Hindi"
The guidelines ask for the notice in one daily local leading newspaper. There is no two-paper requirement and no language restriction for an ordinary adult name change. Publishing in two is a sensible option, because some banks and consulates like to see both, but it is a choice, not a rule, and it roughly doubles that line of your cost.
"The fee is paid by demand draft"
Out of date by years. Since 2018 payment goes only through bharatkosh.gov.in, the Government's Non-Tax Receipt Portal. There is no cash counter at Civil Lines and demand drafts are not accepted. A DD prepared on an old guide's advice is money stuck in the wrong instrument.
"Nothing can be updated without a gazette"
Also wrong as a blanket claim. A woman changing her surname after marriage can update most records on the marriage certificate alone, and several mismatch problems are solved by an affidavit or by correcting the one wrong record. The gazette is the right tool for a genuine change of name, which is what this page covers, but it is not the toll gate for every situation. Our name change after marriage guide has the certificate-first picture.
Why this matters
Each of these myths costs money: an unnecessary second notice, a useless demand draft, or a Rs 1,100 gazette bought where a free marriage certificate would have done. Every figure on this page is checked against the Department's published guidelines, which are linked in the sources section so you can verify them yourself.
Delhi Gazette or Gazette of India? They Are Not the Same
This trips up Delhi readers specifically, because both publications exist here, and some ranking pages use the two names interchangeably.
| Point | Gazette of India | Delhi Gazette |
|---|---|---|
| Published by | Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054 | Government of NCT of Delhi |
| Used for | Private name change by ordinary citizens | Delhi government notifications and departmental matters |
| Section for a name change | Part IV | Handled through the concerned department |
| Download from | egazette.gov.in | Delhi government portals |
| Right choice for a Delhi resident changing their own name | Yes | No |
If you are a Delhi government employee, ask your establishment section which route your service rules require, because departmental notifications can work differently. Everyone else uses the Gazette of India, Part IV.
What Goes in the File: The Complete Seven-Item Checklist
The department's guidelines list seven items. Most Delhi pages carry four or five, and the two most commonly missing are the ones that get files returned.
- 1. An undertaking signed by you, showing your old and new names with your father's or husband's name and residential address.
- 2. The newspaper advertisement, submitted in original as the whole page.
- 3. The prescribed proforma in duplicate, typed, signed by you and by two witnesses.
- 4. A soft copy of the print matter in MS Word, without the witness portion, with your 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 signed by you declaring that the hard copy and the soft copy contents are the same.
- 7. A request letter with the fee.
Items four and six are the ones almost nobody mentions. If your file has come back once and you could not work out why, start there.
Two more rules from the same guidelines. Sign the proforma in your existing old name, not the new one. And each of your two witnesses must give a full name, an address and a mobile number.
Our apply for name change guide takes each of these apart field by field, including the specimen wording.
Where to Get Your Affidavit in Delhi
An affidavit is a short sworn statement giving your old name, your new name, your father's or husband's name, your Delhi address, your age and the reason for the change.
Notaries work around all six district court complexes: Tis Hazari, Patiala House, Karkardooma, Saket, Rohini and Dwarka. Stamp vendors sit alongside them. Most sector and colony markets also have a notary within a short distance, and a straightforward affidavit is usually done inside an hour.
The rule that matters: every detail must match your identity documents exactly. One extra initial or a spelling that differs from your Aadhaar, and every later step inherits the error. Write your new name exactly as you want it printed, spacing included.
The Newspaper Notice
The guidelines ask for the notice in one daily local leading newspaper, giving your father's or husband's name and residential address, forwarded in original.
Delhi has no shortage of qualifying papers. Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express, Navbharat Times, Dainik Jagran, Hindustan, Punjab Kesari and Amar Ujala all circulate widely here. There is no language restriction for a simple adult name change.
Many applicants publish in two, one Hindi and one English, because banks, employers and consulates sometimes ask for both. One is what the guidelines require.
Keep the full original page. Not a cutting of your box. The page must show the newspaper's name and the date. A trimmed clipping is among the most common reasons a file is sent back.
Paying the Fee on BharatKosh
Payment goes only through bharatkosh.gov.in, the Government's Non-Tax Receipt Portal. Fee heads are revised from time to time, commonly each financial year, so confirm the 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 |
Print the challan and put it in the file. There is no cash counter at Civil Lines and demand drafts are not accepted, so do not turn up expecting to pay on the spot.
Submitting at Civil Lines: What to Carry and When to Go
When to go. Public dealing hours are 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00 on working days. Go early in a slot rather than late.
Getting there. The office is in Civil Lines in north Delhi. The Yellow Line serves this part of the city, with Civil Lines and Vidhan Sabha both close by, and autos from either are short. Check your route on the day rather than relying on a blog, including this one.
What to carry. The seven items above, plus a spare set of photocopies and your original ID for verification. Take a folder, not loose sheets.
What to ask. If any item in your file is borderline for your case, ask at the counter before handing it over. That is the whole advantage of being in Delhi, and people routinely waste it by queuing silently.
If you post it instead. Address it to the Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, by Speed Post or courier, and keep the tracking number.
What Happens After You Submit
Entries print in Part IV of the Gazette of India, published weekly on Saturday. Processing usually runs 10 to 30 days from receipt.
Nobody writes to tell you it has been published. You check yourself at egazette.gov.in, searching the weekly Part IV issue by name or date, and download the PDF free. A tip from the Department's own guidelines: open the PDF and use Ctrl+F to find your old or new name inside it. Printed copies stopped on 1 October 2015, and the downloaded PDF is valid as it is, with no attestation needed.
If Your File Comes Back
Delhi applicants have the easiest recovery in the country, so treat a return as a delay rather than a disaster.
The usual causes: a trimmed newspaper cutting, a single proforma instead of duplicate copies, a missing soft copy or similarity certificate, a spelling mismatch across the sheets, unsigned photocopies, incomplete witness details, or a document older than a year.
Fix the specific item, rebuild the file, and take it back during public dealing hours. Where the reason is unclear, go in person and ask rather than guessing and resubmitting blind.
Name Change Cost in Delhi: The Real Numbers
A Delhi adult doing it without help usually spends Rs 1,750 to Rs 3,500. The Government's share of that is Rs 1,100 and it is fixed. If a page tells you the notification itself costs somewhere between Rs 500 and Rs 1,500, it is wrong, and if a provider's quote looks heavy, ask them to split it into Government fee and service fee in writing.
| Item | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Gazette fee, 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 in Delhi | Rs 100 to Rs 500 | Notary or stamp vendor |
| Newspaper notice, one paper | Rs 400 to Rs 1,500 | The newspaper |
| Newspaper notice, two papers, optional | Rs 900 to Rs 3,000 | The newspapers |
| Printing, photographs and stationery | Rs 100 to Rs 300 | Local |
| Travel to Civil Lines, or Speed Post | Rs 50 to Rs 200 | You, or India Post |
| Optional service fee | Varies, fully optional | Private |
How Long It Takes in Delhi
| Stage | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Affidavit at a Delhi notary | Same day | An hour in most markets |
| Newspaper notice | 1 to 5 days | Depends on the booking cycle |
| Assembling the file | 1 to 2 days | Seven items, checked |
| Reaching the department | Same day if you go in person | This is where Delhi saves a week |
| Gazette processing and publication | 10 to 30 days | Part IV publishes Saturday |
| Downloading the PDF | Same day | Free from egazette.gov.in |
| Total | About 2 to 5 weeks | Faster than most cities, purely on transit |
Updating Your Documents in Delhi
The Aadhaar limit is worth knowing before you start. UIDAI permits a name update twice in a lifetime, after which you are into an exception process at a Kendra. Decide your final spelling before the affidavit is signed.
| Order | Document | Where in Delhi | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aadhaar | Any Aadhaar Kendra, including bank and post office centres | Only two name updates in a lifetime |
| 2 | PAN | Online, NSDL or UTIITSL | Checked against Aadhaar |
| 3 | Passport | A Delhi Passport Seva Kendra, by appointment on passportindia.gov.in | Apply under reissue, reason change of name |
| 4 | Bank and demat | Your branch, and the registrar for folios | KYC takes the name from PAN |
| 5 | Driving licence | Delhi Transport Department, through the Parivahan portal | |
| 6 | Voter ID | Form 8 on the voters portal | |
| 7 | Property, MCD and DDA records, PF and insurance | Respective office | Do before any sale or transfer |
Special Situations in Delhi
Delhi Government Employees
Ask your establishment section first. Central government staff generally work under the Department of Personnel and Training office memorandum number 19016/1/87-Estt. dated 12 March 1987, which calls for a deed signed before two witnesses, an intimation to the department, the newspaper notice and the gazette entry, after which the service book is amended. A married female government employee changing only her surname often has a lighter route through a simple intimation, so check before spending anything.
Minors and School Records
Both parents apply and both sign, at the minor fee of Rs 1,700. Update the school record straight after publication. Do it before Class 9 or Class 10 registration, because correcting a board record afterwards is a much longer job and CBSE generally wants a court order alongside the gazette. The full picture is on our minor name change guide.
Delhi Families With Someone Abroad
The fee for an Indian citizen living abroad is Rs 3,500, not Rs 1,100. The affidavit is best sworn at the Indian Mission where they live, and the file is couriered in. A short payment at the resident rate is one of the most common reasons an overseas file is returned. The remote process is on our NRI name change page.
Areas We Cover in Delhi and Around
We handle name change files across the capital. Since the whole process runs on documents, online payment and one address in Civil Lines, your locality does not change the timeline.
Gurgaon has its own page at name change in Gurgaon, and the full price list for every case is on name change service in India.
Mistakes Delhi Applicants Make
File mistakes
- Sending four items when seven are required. The soft copy and the similarity certificate are the usual omissions.
- A trimmed newspaper cutting instead of the full page.
- A single proforma copy instead of duplicate.
- Signing the proforma in the new name. It is signed in the old one.
- Sending an original certificate. Documents are never returned.
Detail and payment mistakes
- Turning up expecting to pay at the counter. Payment is online only, before you go.
- Incomplete witness details, usually a missing mobile number.
- Different spellings across the undertaking, the notice and the proforma.
- Letting the file go stale. Nothing may be older than one year.
- Confusing the Delhi Gazette with the Gazette of India.
Get help with your name change in Delhi
All contact options and office directions are on our contact page.
Send us a photo of your Aadhaar and the exact new name you want. We will confirm the correct route for your case, the real Government fee and a realistic date range, at no charge. Where you want the file built, we draft the affidavit and undertaking, write and book the newspaper notice, prepare the proforma in duplicate and the soft copy, generate the challan and check every page against the seven-item list. You hand it in at Civil Lines yourself, which the department requires and which is easy when you live here.
- 📞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
- 📍Building No. 31/12, 1st Shop, Street No. 1, Hardev Nagar, near Burari Metro Station Pillar No. 337, Delhi 110084
Name Change in Delhi: The Questions People Ask Most
Where do I submit a name change application in Delhi?
To the Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, in person during public dealing hours or by post or courier.
What are the gazette office timings?
Public dealing runs 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00 on working days.
How much does a name change cost in Delhi?
The Government fee is Rs 1,100 for an adult. With affidavit, notary and one newspaper notice, most people spend Rs 1,750 to Rs 3,500 in total.
Can I submit the application myself?
Yes, and in Delhi you should. The department's guidelines require applications to be submitted personally or sent by post or courier, and name agents and advocates as not permissible.
Is the Delhi Gazette the same as the Gazette of India?
No. A private name change is published in the Gazette of India, Part IV. The Delhi Gazette carries Government of NCT of Delhi notifications.
How many days does it take in Delhi?
Usually two to five weeks, which is faster than most cities because there is no courier time at either end.
Can I pay the fee at the office?
No. Payment is online only, through bharatkosh.gov.in. Print the challan and carry it.
Where is the gazette office in Delhi?
Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. Public dealing 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00 on working days.
Where do I get a name change affidavit in Delhi?
Any notary around Tis Hazari, Patiala House, Karkardooma, Saket, Rohini or Dwarka, usually within an hour.
Should I use a name change agent in Delhi?
Compare any quote against the Rs 1,100 Government fee, and remember that the applicant submits the file, not the agent.
Can I do a gazette name change online in Delhi?
The fee payment and the download are online. The file itself is physical.
How do I change my name in Aadhaar in Delhi?
Any Aadhaar Kendra once you have the gazette copy, subject to the two-update lifetime limit.
Frequently Asked Questions on Name Change in Delhi
Where exactly is the gazette office?
Do I have to go in person?
What is the fee?
How do I pay?
How many documents go in the file?
How many newspapers do I need?
Can an agent submit it for me?
How old can my documents be?
Will my documents be returned?
Where do I download my gazette copy?
Is there an online submission portal?
What do I update first afterwards?
How many times can I change my name in Aadhaar?
I am a Delhi government employee. Is my process different?
My file came back. What now?
Can I change my child's name in Delhi?
Is my Delhi gazette valid in other states?
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Official Sources for This Page
Check the checklist, the fee and the myths section against the department's own document. That is what it is there for.
- Department of Publication, Guidelines for Change of Name for Adult (Major)The seven-item submission list, the fee schedule, the one-newspaper requirement, the one-year document rule, the non-return of documents, and the line that agents and advocates are not a permissible channel.
- The Gazette of India, e-Gazette portalSearch and download the published Part IV entry free of cost.
- BharatKosh, the Non-Tax Receipt PortalThe only accepted channel for the fee.
- Government of NCT of DelhiThe Delhi Gazette, which is a separate publication from the Gazette of India.
- Passport Seva, Ministry of External AffairsReissue under change of name and Delhi centre appointments.
- Unique Identification Authority of IndiaThe accepted supporting documents and the name update limit.
Final Word on Changing Your Name in Delhi
Everything on this page in ten lines
- Delhi applicants have an advantage nobody else in India has, and most of them never use it.
- The office that every other city posts to is a metro ride away, the counter answers questions, and a returned file is a week's setback rather than a month's.
- Use it: go during public dealing hours, 10:00 to 13:00 or 14:00 to 16:00, and ask before you hand the file over.
- Build the file properly with all seven items, including the MS Word soft copy and the similarity certificate that most guides omit.
- Check one spelling across every sheet: undertaking, notice, both proforma copies, soft copy.
- Pay Rs 1,100 on BharatKosh before you leave home. There is no cash counter and no demand drafts.
- One newspaper is what the guidelines require. Two is a choice, not a rule.
- Your entry goes in the Gazette of India, Part IV, not the Delhi Gazette, which is a different publication.
- Part IV publishes Saturday; find your entry yourself on egazette.gov.in with Ctrl+F, since no letter comes.
- Total time in Delhi: about two to five weeks, faster than anywhere else purely on transit.
Want the file drafted and checked before you go to Civil Lines?
Call 9540003316 or send a photo of your Aadhaar and the exact new name on WhatsApp. We build all seven items; you hand the file in, a metro ride from home.