There are certain eligibility and documents required for name change in India. These documents and eligibility play crucial roles in this process and in maintaining legal and financial records. This article will explain the steps involved in detail.
Who Can Legally Change Their Name in India?
Every Indian citizen can change their name in India if they are willing to do so. Both majors and minors (under 18 years) of age can change their names.
Eligibility to Name Change for Adults
The basic eligibility criteria for changing names for adults are as follows,
- Age: The person should be at least 18 years of age (Major)
- Citizenship: The person must be a citizen of India
- ID proof: The person should possess valid ID proof issued from the Government of India like Aadhar, Ration, PAN, and Passport for the name change process.
- Sound mind and Capacity: The person should be of sound mind and able to make decisions on their own. This means a lunatic person cannot change their name.
- A valid reason: There should be a valid reason to change the name like,
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Personal choice
- Professional upliftment
- Astrology
- Numerology
- Correction of errors or spelling
- Change of religion
- Gender transition etc.,
- Legitimate purpose: The name change should be only for legitimate reasons, any fraudulent purposes cannot be accepted. And also there should not be any pending cases.
- Necessary documents: The person should get all the necessary documents that are essential like an Affidavit, Newspaper publication, Gazette notification, etc.,
Eligibility to Name Change for Minors:
The Eligibility criteria for a name change by minors are the following,
- Age: The person must be a minor i.e., under 18 years of age
- Consent from Parent/Guardian: Since they are less than 18 years old, the Law doesn’t allow them to make such decisions of their own. So the parents or the Guardian should give them consent in a written format for changing the name.
- Other requirements: Apart from this, they also need all the necessary documents and valid reasons like the Adults.
Key Documents Required for Name Change
There are some basic key documents required for name change, without which the name change can’t be done in India. They are,
- Affidavit
- ID proofs
- Newspaper Advertisements
- Gazette notification
- Court orders
- Consent Letter
- Photographs
Proof of Identity (Aadhaar, Passport, Voter ID)
Proof of Identity or ID proof plays an important role in the name-changing process. It is the very essential document that verifies, identifies, and answers the question “Who are you?”. It also prevents us from illegal activities, helps to correct the errors, and ensures about changing them in all documents. It will prevent confusion in identity and give us 100% privacy and security. Proof of identity is the identity provided by the government to every individual in our country. Some of the important ID proofs are,
- Aadhar
- PAN
- Voter ID
- Ration Card
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- Marriage certificate
- Bank passbook
- Court orders
Affidavit for Name Change
An affidavit for name change is a legal document that is a sworn statement of facts and consists of all details like the person’s old name, new name, address, contact information, valid reason, and other necessary documents. An affidavit is the first and most important document that is needed for the name changing process. This should be notarized and filed.
The process involved in Affidavit Submission and publication:
- The affidavit should be drafted with all these details,
- Title
- Affiant’s Details like name, father’s name, address, contact details
- Mentioning old and new names should confirm that both are the same person and this process is voluntary and legal.
- Valid reason for changing
- Declaration for non-fraudulent activity
- Signature and Notarization
- Publish it in two newspapers, one in a regional language and another in an English newspaper.
- Submit it on the website or to officials with other ID proofs like Voter ID, Aadhar, and PAN.
Why Accuracy in Name Change Documents is Important?
Accuracy in the name change documents is crucial because it will serve consistency across all the IDs of a person. It also has other important reasons like,
- These documents serve as Legal proof for future references so it is important to maintain accuracy
- Even small errors can cause Identity confusion, this can prevent that confusion
- These documents will avoid the legal complications
Preventing Mistakes on Legal Documents
We should prevent making mistakes on legal documents because it is important. Even small errors can cause misunderstandings and other legal consequences. To avoid making mistakes we can take the following measures,
- Proofread the information and details many times to make sure that everything is correct
- Make it simple and precise, lots of complicated language can make it difficult to understand
- Seek for legal review or professional review, Taxxinn can review and make the process easier for you.
- Submit the electronic documents and signature according to the required size and other requirements.
- This name change process differs from one jurisdiction to another, so make sure your documents and process comply with your regional law and regulations.
How Accurate Documentation Help to Speed Up the Process?
Submitting accurate documents will help speed up the process, saving a lot of time and money while avoiding the need for corrections because there will be no corrections to make. Other than this there are many advantages of submitting the correct documents, they are
- Reducing the need for corrections will save a lot of time, energy, and money
- Smooth workflow
- Accurate documents will reduce legal risk and setbacks
- Once the documents are clear with accurate information the implementation process will also be easier and quick without any bottlenecks.
Conclusion
Changing your name in India may seem like a long process, but knowing the eligibility and documents required for name change will make it an easy process. Whether you’re changing your name for personal reasons, professional purposes, or due to a life event, it’s important to have the eligible requirements and gather the necessary documents. Following the required steps, like publishing a notice submitting an affidavit, and getting a gazette notification, this becomes legal proof. Taxxinn’s expert team will help you understand the eligibility & make the documentation accordingly. We take care of the entire documentation process which makes the name change process precise & faster.
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