Legal Process of Changing Your Name in India

Changing the name is a legal process in India. People can change their name for personal, professional, or any other reason. This can be done by obtaining the required eligibility, following the correct procedure, and submitting all the necessary documents.

How to Legally Change Your Name in India?

To legally change your name in India, there are three steps to follow: Submit an affidavit, publish a newspaper advertisement, and notify the official gazette. These steps are explained briefly below

Step 1: Understanding the Legal Framework

Understanding the legal framework will help avoid other legal, business, personal and professional complications. This process of name change is done legally to ensure that it is done in a transparent, systematic, and trustable manner officially by the government officers of India. Only if officers approve the process it will be legally recognized. You may change your name for various reasons like Personal, Marital status, Professional, or any other but it is important to understand the laws and procedures involved to ensure your new name is legally valid and updated across official records. The legal framework involves filing documentation, publishing notices in newspapers, notifying in Gazette, and other formalities

Step 2: Filing an Affidavit for Name Change

Filing an affidavit is the first and foremost step of the Name changing process. This affidavit is a valuable document that serves as the legal proof for your declaration of changing the name. It is the sworn statement that includes all the details like old name, new name, the reason for the change, address, contact details, Father’s name, and other documents like ID proof. The important steps in filing an affidavit are,

Drafting: The person should draft the affidavit with all the details as mentioned along with the declaration statement that it’s not for fraudulent purpose
Notarization: The affidavit should be signed in front of the Notary or the oath commissioner. This will be done once they check the details and identity.
Essential documents: For this process, you will need your ID proof like Aadhar, Passport, Voter ID, and Address proofs like Bank passbook and gas bill. Birth certificates and marriage certificates also be required depending on the situation.
Submission: After notarizing the affidavit should be submitted in the District court or other local courts depending upon where you were applying. In some places, they are even allowed to submit in the notary office itself.
Newspaper Advertisement: Once the affidavit is submitted you will be required to publish a newspaper advertisement about your name with all the details in 2 newspapers. One is the regional well-known newspaper and an English newspaper.

Step 3: Publishing the Gazette Notification

Publishing the Gazette Notification is a crucial step in this name-changing process. After getting a gazette notification only we can legally change the name in all our official records

Application and Fees: After the above-mentioned steps you should apply to the Department of Publication along with the affidavit and necessary documents. And there will be some fee to pay for this gazette notification.
Publication: Once the payment is done the Department of Publication will publish your name change in the official gazette. This process might take 2-4 weeks depending upon the procedures.
Gazette Copy: Since it’s officially and legally changed you will be receiving an official Gazette copy which is the legal proof. This gazette is a public document and anyone can access it.
Update the records: After receiving this copy you can change the name in all official records.

Common Mistakes to Avoid During Your Name Change Procedure

Common Mistakes in the name change procedure can cause unnecessary delays. The most common mistakes are incorrect spellings, and errors in documents. These mistakes can make this process delayed and they can be avoided by double-checking and proofreading before submission. For a hassle-free experience, consider getting help from Taxxin professionals to ensure everything is accurate and on time.

Incorrect Information on Documents

Incorrect information on Documents include,

Spelling mistakes
Entering the details in the wrong column
Mismatched documents
Incorrect dates
Notarization issues
The reason for the name change might be incorrect or not completed
Signature issues
The problem in uploading documents and Electronic Signature

These small mistakes can be avoided by understanding the process and following them with patience.

Delays in Gazette Publication

A Gazette publication might take about 2-4 weeks to get done but this timeline can stretch to several weeks or even months if there are mistakes or issues in your application or documents. Some of the common causes are,

Incorrect information or errors in application, affidavit, documents or any others.
If the payment is pending
Issues in Newspaper Publication
Rejection of application, Ex: If they doubt for fraudulent purpose
Maybe due to the huge volume of applications and other operation issues, the process itself might get delayed.

This can be minimized if we check and submit the documents and details correctly. Follow the procedures upload online forms and get in touch with the officials. Follow up with them if required.

How Long Does It Take to Legally Change Your Name in India?

It will take approximately about 2-3 months to change your name legally in India if there are no problems or issues/delays in the procedure.

Understanding the Timeline for Gazette Publication

Apply to the Department of Publication. This might take 1-2 days.
The processing period for application inside the department might take upto 2- 4 weeks.
This application needs to be approved by the officials of the Publication Department. This might take 1-2 weeks.
Once this is done the official notification for the name change will be provided and in the Gazette the name will be changed. This is such a huge process and might take about 4-6 weeks.
After changing the name in the gazette we will get a copy to change the name in other records. For getting the copy it will take another 1-2 weeks.
If there are any delays or backlogs the time will be extended other than this.

Factors That Can Affect the Name Change Duration

Incorrect information or mistakes
Issues in payment, newspaper publication, affidavit and application
Legal or administrative issues
Court involvement
Delays in the administrative process

Role of an Online Name Change Service in India

Changing your name legally used to be a long and complicated process, but online name change services have made it much easier & faster. They guide you through every step, from preparing the affidavit to publishing newspaper ads and getting the Gazette notification.

Benefits of Using Online Name Change Platforms

It is a very easy, convenient, time and money-saving process.
We can get Expert and Legal assistance to get this done without any errors.
Reduced risk of errors and it is very accurate
Document preparation and uploading have become user-friendly
We can track the application status, this will reduce the tension
The process ensures the privacy and security

Steps Involved in Online Name Change Service

Consultation and Verification: This platform offers you an initial consultation where you have to inform the valid reason to change the name and submit the necessary documentation.
The affidavit should be prepared, notarised and submitted
Newspaper advertisements should be given in local and English newspaper
After submitting these you will get a gazette notification
With the help of a Gazette copy or receipt, you can change the name officially in other documents.
Get Legal expert assistance if the Court is involved in any of this process.

Conclusion

The name change procedure involves, various legal steps, as discussed earlier. The process will be easier and quicker if we avoid all the errors and mistakes. Taxxinn will make this easier for you, our expert team will take you through the procedures and you will have a tension-free process for the most important change of your life. `