Many people may go in for a change of name, it may be due to numerology, ethnic or religious grounds. This article covers the process involved in Changing Name, the documents that need To Be Updated On Changing Names

Why do People change names?

Generally for women along with marriage crops a question of change of name/surname. These days many women choose to retain their last name and some add their husband’s last name to it such as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. While to change or not to change the last name is a very personal decision. Whether you wish to change your last name after marriage or simply want to take on a new name for some other reason, you need to get legal and financial documents updated accordingly. The procedure for legal name change in India is straightforward but somewhat time-consuming.The legal way to change the name is to apply for a name change in the state government gazette. It may take up to 6 months and may involve a few trips to local offices to get all your documents in order and attested. There are also fees associated with every step in the process

Name in PAN Card, Passport, Aadhaar, Indian naming system

Documents To Be Updated On Changing Names

Documents that need to be updated for change in names are:

• Permanent account number (PAN)
• Passport
• Driving license,
• Voter’s identity card,
• Aadhaar
• Financial documents:
  • Bank Accounts, Bank Deposits, Loans, Insurance Policies
  • Credit report
  • Know-your-client/customer information, name change across other financial investments, such as mutual funds and shares .

The legal way to change the name is to apply for a name change in the state government gazette. For women, if name change is due to marriage, she can apply for a marriage certificate at the office of the registrar of marriage. Ensure there is uniformity in all your documents especially financial documents. Proof required for change in documents is Name change in state government official gazette or Joint notarized affidavit or a marriage certificate.

Marriage certificate

A Marriage Certificate is the proof of registration of a marriage. To be eligible for marriage, the minimum age limit is 21 for males and 18 for females. As per the official portal Marriage Certificate, in India, a marriage can be registered under either of the two Marriage Acts:

• The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955  is applicable only to the Hindus, provides for registration of an already solemnized marriage
• The Special Marriage Act, 1954  is applicable to all citizens of India. It provides for solemnization of a marriage as well as registration by a Marriage Officer.

Under the Hindu Marriage Act:

Parties to the marriage have to apply to the Registrar in whose jurisdiction the marriage is solemnised or to the Registrar in whose jurisdiction either party to the marriage has been residing at least for six months immediately preceding the date of marriage. Both the parties have to appear before the Registrar along with their parents or guardians or other witnesses within one month from the date of marriage. There is a provision for condonation of delay up to 5 years, by the Registrar, and thereafter by the District Registrar concerned.

Under the Special Marriage Act:

The parties to the intended marriage have to give a notice to the Marriage Officer in whose jurisdiction at least one of the parties has resided for not less than 30 days prior to the date of notice. It should be affixed at some conspicuous place in his office. If either of the parties is residing in the area of another Marriage Officer, a copy of the notice should be sent to him for similar publication. The marriage may be solemnised after the expiry of one month from the date of publication of the notice, if no objections are received. If any objections are received, the Marriage Officer has to enquire into them and take a decision either to solemnise the marriage or to refuse it. Registration will be done after solemnisation of the marriage.

Any marriage already celebrated can also be registered under the Special Marriage Act after giving a public notice of 30 days, subject to conditions.

To know the detailed procedure of the State/ Union Territory  to Obtain Marriage Certificate check the webpage Obtain Marriage Certificate select the state/UT as shown in image below:

Changing Name in the Gazette of India

The person attaining the age of 18 yrs. and above who wishes to get his/her change of name published in the Gazette of India Part-IV has to comply with the following formalities prior to publish of such advertisement. Quoting from deptpub.nic.in’s Process of name change (pdf)

1. Please advertise change of name in one of the daily local leading newspaper stating therein father’s/Husband’s name along with the residential address and forward it in original to this Department.

2. Please submit an original affidavit duly attested by first class Magistrate/Notary/Oath Commissioner that has jurisdiction where you live, showing therein full details of father’s/husband’s name along with residential address before taking oath in the affidavit . In the case of individuals working with Central Govt. they may submit a deed for change of name in accordance with the Ministry of Home Affairs O.M. No. – 190016/1/87-Estt. dated 12.03.1987. In case of Indians, living abroad, he/she will submit a deed duly attested by the respective Indian Embassy/Indian High Commission, in original to this Department.

3. Please submit printing matter as prescribed in the attached specimen, called ProForma, duly completed in all respects by typing the same on a separate plain paper and signed by the individual in his/her old name, with two witnesses in duplicate. The Proforma must be typed.

4. Please attach two passport size photographs and come personally or else the case can be sent by registered post with photographs duly attested.

5. The printing charges for publication of change of name Rs. 700/- only. However in case of public notice Rs. 900/- would be charged. The amount will have to be submitted or remitted in advance in cash or by Demand Draft/India Postal Order drawn in favour of Controller of Publication, Department of Publication,Civil Lines, Delhi-54. The extra copies of the Gazette can be supplied to the extent of 2 on additional payment of Rs. – 35/- per copy. The charges in cash can also be deposited alongwith, aforesaid documents in our Department. The cost of advertising of change of name in the Gazette of India for Indian living abroad is Rs. – 2300/- which includes air mail charges also.

6. All the aforesaid document, printing charges together with forwarding letter addressed to The controller of Publication, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi-54. should be sent to this Department. The documents must not be old beyond the period of one year.

7. The documents once submitted in this Department will not be returned in any circumstances, neither original nor Xerox copy.

Obtaining copies from the gazette
You need to wait for at least 15 days to inquire about your status of name change after mailing the above required DD and documents by mentioning your old and new names as a reference. And if everything goes fine you will receive copy/three copies of the gazette as the case may be through post.

Changing Name on PAN Card

These days it’s almost impossible to do any financial transactions without submitting a copy of the PAN card. When PAN has already been allotted to the applicant, but when data associated with the PAN (e.g. name of applicant / father’s name / date of birth / address) is required to be updated, application for change in PAN has to be submitted supported by documents . A new PAN card bearing the same PAN but updated information is issued to applicant. From NSDL’s Application for PAN Change Request,  NSDL’s Instructions for filling change request form

Request for change (significant change) in applicant’s or father’s name will have to be supported with such proof that will contain proof of change of name from the old to the new in addition to the proof of identity. The documents that shall be accepted as proof in this case are:

• For married ladies – change of name on account of marriage – marriage certificate, marriage invitation card, publication of ‘name-change in the gazette, copy of passport showing husband’s name (or vice versa).
• For individual applicants other than married ladies – publication of `name-change in gazette.

Ensure that you inform your employer, chartered accountant and financial adviser about the change in the PAN card name so that your income-tax papers could get updated accordingly.

Changing Name on PassPort

Passport is accepted as legal proof for residence and identity. If you already have a passport and need to update your post-marriage new surname, you will have to apply for a re-issue of passport and not a fresh passport. Though the application process remains the same, the documents one needs to apply for re-issue of passport are wedding certificates, old passport, copy of one’s husband passport and other basic formalities. Quoting from passport.gov.in For change of name

I. Following marriage, remarriage or divorce:

1. A woman applying for change of name/surname in existing passport due to marriage must furnish:
   1. Photocopy of the Husband’s passport, if any, and
   2. An attested copy of marriage certificate issued by Registrar of Marriage OR an affidavit from the husband and wife along with a joint photograph, (Specimen at Annexure D).
2. Divorcees applying for change of name OR for deletion of spouse’s name in existing passport must furnish
   1. Certified copy of Divorce decree.
   2. Deed poll/sworn affidavit (ANNEXURE ‘E’)
3. Re-married applicants applying for change of name/spouse’s name must furnish:
   1. Divorce deed/death certificate as the case may be in respect of first spouse, and
   2. Document as at (a) above relating to second marriage.

II. In other circumstances for change of name, the applicant (both male and female) should furnish:

1. (i) Deed poll/sworn affidavit (ANNEXURE ‘E’)
2. (ii) Paper cuttings of two leading daily newspapers in original (one daily newspaper should be of the area of applicant’s permanent and present address or nearby area).

Note: Husband/Wife can also include the spouse name in passport. Quoting from Passport.gov.in FAQ

For this, please file up Form No.II(EAP-II) form and submit it along with marriage certificate, photocopy of spouse’s passport (if she has one) and proof of stay (if the present address is different from the one in the passport)

Changing Name for Bank Accounts, Deposits, Loan, Credit Report, KYC

Bank Accounts:Visit the bank branch and update  the name change along with the change of address.In case of a woman needing name change after marriage, a marriage certificate is required to be produced for effecting the same in bank records. Banks as per their internal guidelines may seek additional documentation to authenticate the request. Generally, the marriage certificate and the joint notarized affidavit from a notary get the job of name change done in banks. Bank may ask for husband’s address proof as well such as a copy of his passport.

Do ensure that you get the new surname on all your deposit accounts as well as any loan accounts by visiting the banks or companies

In Credit report Any changes in customer database, including name and address, get refreshed every month for all loan customers by the bank to Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd so you get respite for updating the name and/or address yourself.

With a new surname and a possibly new address, you will need to get your know-your-client information for mutual funds also updated. Name change across other financial investments, such as mutual funds and shares will follow. Quoting from CDSL Ventures FAQ

Whom do I inform about change of Name/Address/Status/Signature etc?

You should intimate your change of Name/Address/Status/Signature etc to any convenient PoS. You need to quote your PAN and submit proof (in case of new address). You should provide for at least 10 days for the change of address to take effect with all the Mutual Funds with whom you are invested. Please note that you should not write to the Mutual Fund or its Registrar for the change of address (unless as a designated PoS). The specified form can be obtained from the AMFI/Mutual Fund/CDSL website. All details of the holders in the Mutual Fund records will be replaced by the address details available in the CVL record.

Changing Name on Voter ID

Quoting from Election Commission webpage Elecroll

Q. 9. What is the procedure to make corrections in such names / other details that have been misspelt in the Electoral Roll?

Ans. For incorporation of corrections in the Electoral Rolls, You have to submit Form – 8 to the ERO of the Assembly Constituency.

For Driving License contact Regional Transport Office(RTO) or Contact local motor driving training institute and get name changed on driving license too.

Reference: Livemint Miss to Mrs: what else to do when changing title

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What’s in a name? said Shakespeare. But if you want to get name changed it may involve a few trips to local offices to get all your documents in order. Have you got yours, your wife or your family member’s name changed? How was the process?