If you are to register the birth of your child, you must be careful in writing the name, because you may not be able to change the name in official documents more than once. Read everything about a name change in this article.
It is quite a common practice to change a name in India these days. Though every individual has the right to change his/her name, it cannot be done for the wrong reasons, such as, escaping from one’s liability, impersonating someone, escaping from a crime, or misleading others. While there can be some valid reasons to opt for the legally change a name.
Why Would a Person in India Want to Change Their Name?
In India name change is opted for if and when a person –
- Simply dislikes his/her current name
- Wants to change their name after marriage
- Has been divorced
- Had converted to a different religion
- Desires to avoid confusion of mis-spellings or mispronunciations
- Wants to support a political group, leader, or agenda
- Residing in foreign wants to change his/her name to feel the roots of the home country
- Religiously or based on his/her mythological beliefs wants to change the name
- Wants to change the gender and thus reflect the change in his/her name too
- Simply fancies a new name.
How Many Times Can a Person Legally Change Their Name in India?
When the birth of a person is registered with a name, the change of name entered in the register of birth can only be registered in India, as per the law.
Step-by-Step Process to Change Your Name Legally in India
Step 1: Get an Affidavit
- Visit the nearest notary and make an affidavit for the online name change. You need to provide your old name, new name, and mention a reason for the name change.
- Married women who wish to change their surname, and add their husband’s name will have to submit the following details.:
- Old name with the father’s name and address
- New name with the husband’s name and address
- Date of marriage
- This affidavit can be used to change your first name, last name, or entire name completely.
Step 2: A Newspaper Publication
- In any two local newspapers, you need to get printed a declaration of your name change.
- You will have to state the change of your old name to your new name and your residential address in the ad.
- Newspapers often have a dedicated section to name-changing advertisements. You can get in touch with them to advise you on a format.
Step 3: Gazette Notification
- Though not mandatory for any common person, banks may require a Gazette publication copy to update KYC records. If you are a Government worker or desire to opt for any government examinations, a Gazette publication is mandatory.
- To get your new name published in the official gazette of your state, you need to visit the local government press or the department that mobilizes Gazette notification.
After the completion of this process, and on receiving all your original documents, It may take up to 30 days for the Government to print your changed name in the Gazette.
Change of Name in Other Documents
Now that you have legalized your new name, you would want to change your name in other documents like ID proofs, bank records, certificates, and other official documents, for which you will have to save all these name change documents.
Summing Up
Though the name-change process seems simple, it is still lengthy and time-consuming, which is why Vakilsearch offers a comprehensive service for name change. It is a completely online process, wherein the professionals at Vakilsearch will take care of the entire process, from drafting the affidavit to informing you about the gazette notification. Vakilsearch will guide you through the process and answer all your queries.
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