There is practically no difficulty in name change procedure, unlike anywhere else in the world. Changing your last name in India is not as difficult as you think it may be. The reasons for such a change can be many. Many women change their last names after getting married. It might also be done for astrology, better suitability, simplification of long names, etc.
The purpose of this article is to give you a complete understanding of the entire procedure in India. You can change your name quite easily, even though it may seem complicated.
What You Need To Know About Name Changes
In order to perform a name change, the following needs to be done:
- Submission of an affidavit:
It is necessary to prepare an affidavit and submit it to the appropriate authorities in order to change your name.
- Publication of the advertisement:
In order to complete the process, an announcement must be published in the newspaper.
- Notification in the Gazette:
In India, a Gazette is any journal, newspaper, or other form of publication that publishes notifications.
- Submission of an affidavit
You should contact a notary as soon as possible to proceed with the necessary step of submitting your affidavit. You would get a better sense of clarity if you followed these steps:
- In order to obtain your required notary services, you should contact your local notary.
- A notary would suggest the stamp paper of the required value to be used for the affidavit.
- The following details need to be filled out once you have acquired the paper:
- The address you are currently at
- Your current and new names
- A particular reason for changing one’s name (astrology, numerology, marriage, etc.)
- Printing the affidavit onto plain stamp paper requires two witnesses to sign. The affidavit must be signed by two gazetted officers. Make sure you get their signature and rubber stamp.
- When changing your last name or adding your husband’s initials, women planning to get married or already married need to provide the following information:
- Their old names and addresses along with their father’s
- A new name and address for the couple, as well as the name and address of their husband
- Their wedding date
Whether you are changing your whole name, your surname, or just a few letters, the affidavit should reflect both your old and new names.
If you need to complete any future legal formalities, keep the copy of the affidavit with you.
It is mandatory for Indians living overseas to submit a deed stating the change of name. The deed must be duly signed by the Indian High Commission office or the Indian Embassy in their country.
- Publications in newspapers
You will need to publish an ad/notification about your name change in the local newspaper when you have completed the first step of preparing an affidavit and submitting it. To do so, you should select two newspapers, one in the official language of the state and the other in English.
It is recommended that you choose Dainik Bhaskar and The Hindu/Indian Express if you’re from Madhya Pradesh. If you’re from Tamil Nadu, you should choose Dinakaran/Dina Thanthi and The Hindu/Indian Express.
In your request, please mention the following details for two popular daily publications:
- The new name you have chosen
- Old name of yours
- The date of your birth
- The address
- Notification in the Gazette
The third and last step is this. The legal name of yours would be changed and will be finalized once it appears on the gazette.
Incase of non-government employees, the gazette notification for changing name is optional.
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