Name Change Affidavit in Jharkhand
The affidavit is the first paper in a name change from Jharkhand and the one every later paper copies from: the newspaper notice quotes its date, the Gazette proforma repeats its wording, and Aadhaar reads it beside the Gazette page. This page gives you what it must say, the four formats that actually get used here, where to swear it in each district, what it costs, and the four things an affidavit on its own cannot do.
A name change affidavit in Jharkhand is a sworn statement on non-judicial stamp paper, signed before a notary public at the court complex in your district, stating your old name exactly as on Aadhaar, the exact new name, your father's or husband's name, your address, the reason for the change, and a verification clause that the contents are true. It costs the stamp paper and the notary's fee, commonly Rs 100 to Rs 500 together. It is step one of the name change process, not the whole of it: on its own it does not change your name on Aadhaar, PAN, a passport or a JAC certificate. For a full or first-name change it is followed by two newspaper notices and publication in Part IV of the Gazette of India from Delhi.
Search for a name change affidavit in Jharkhand and the results disagree about the one thing you can check: the stamp paper. One page says Rs 20, another Rs 100, a third "Rs 10 to 100 depending on the state". One says it must be sworn before an SDM, another before a first-class magistrate. Two of them then send you to "the State Gazette" to finish, which for Jharkhand publishes Government notifications and no personal notices at all. None of them prints what the affidavit actually says.
This page does. It carries the nine things every affidavit must contain, the four formats that get used in Jharkhand, worded so you can see the difference between a change and a correction, the places in each district where it is sworn, and an honest table of what an affidavit alone is accepted for and where it is not. Where the affidavit sits in the whole journey is on the name change process page.
At a glance
- What it is
- A sworn declaration of your old name, new name and reason, on stamp paper, before a notary
- Who swears it
- You, in the old name as on Aadhaar. For a minor, the parent or guardian
- Before whom
- A notary public, in person. No SDM or magistrate is needed for a change of name affidavit
- Stamp paper
- Non-judicial, low denomination; the value is set by the state and confirmed by the notary on the day
- Cost
- Stamp paper plus notary, commonly Rs 100 to Rs 500 in Jharkhand
- Time
- Same day or next day, once the wording is fixed
- Formats
- Adult change, marriage, minor, wrongly written name; plus the one-and-the-same-person affidavit
- What it cannot do alone
- Change Aadhaar for a major change, re-issue a passport, reprint a JAC certificate, or replace the Gazette
- Shelf life
- Newspapers and the Department expect it reasonably fresh; swear it the week the notices are booked
- Next step
- One Hindi and one English daily, then the Part IV file to Civil Lines, Delhi 110054
Key takeaways
- The affidavit is sworn in the OLD name as on your Aadhaar, declaring the new one. The notary will check the ID against the old name, not the new.
- A change of name and a wrongly written name use different affidavits. Using the change wording for a correction is what gets the Gazette file returned six weeks later.
- The stamp value does not affect whether the Department accepts the affidavit. The wording, the verification clause and the notary's attestation do.
- Fix the exact spelling, spacing and initials before printing. The affidavit is copied into the newspaper and the proforma; a one-letter slip travels with it.
- An affidavit alone is accepted by banks, employers and colleges as a one-and-the-same-person statement. It is not accepted by UIDAI for a major change, by Passport Seva, by JAC or by recruitment panels.
- Swear it the week the newspapers are booked, not months before.
What a Name Change Affidavit in Jharkhand Is, and What It Is Not
An affidavit is a written statement that you swear is true, signed in front of a notary public who records it in a register and stamps it. For a name change it records who you were, who you will now be, and why. It has legal weight because a false statement in it is an offence, which is exactly why offices treat it as a starting point rather than as proof of anything by itself.
It is
- Step one of the three-step name change: affidavit, newspaper notice, Gazette.
- The paper whose wording the newspaper and the proforma must copy exactly.
- A document banks, employers and colleges accept as a statement that two spellings are one person.
- Required in the Department of Publication file, attached in original.
It is not
- Proof of a name change on its own. Aadhaar for a major change, Passport Seva, JAC and recruitment panels do not accept it alone.
- Something an SDM or a first-class magistrate must attest. A notary public is the usual and sufficient authority for a change of name affidavit.
- A substitute for the Gazette. The Gazette page is what makes the change usable everywhere.
- A birth certificate correction. That is a Registrar matter under Section 15 of the RBD Act, 1969, and an affidavit is never evidence of a date of birth for a board.
The Nine Things a Name Change Affidavit Must Contain in Jharkhand
Miss one and the notary may still stamp it; the Department in Delhi will not accept it.
| Element | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Title | "AFFIDAVIT" at the top. | Identifies the instrument. |
| 2. Old name, as on Aadhaar | "I, Sunita Kumari, daughter of Ramesh Prasad, aged 28 years..." | The notary matches this against your ID. The affidavit is sworn in the old name, not the new. |
| 3. Address with pin code | "...resident of Kanke Road, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834008..." | The Gazette address should match the Aadhaar address for the later Aadhaar update. |
| 4. Father's or husband's name | As it appears on your documents. | Recruitment panels check the father's name as its own field. Spell it as on your Class 10 certificate. |
| 5. The exact new name | "...have changed my name from Sunita Kumari to Sunita Verma..." | Spacing, initials and capitals decided here travel into the newspaper and the Gazette. Fix them before printing. |
| 6. Reason, in one line | Marriage, personal preference, numerology, correction of a wrongly written name. | No office judges the reason, but the Department expects it stated. |
| 7. The declaration going forward | "...and shall be known as Sunita Verma for all purposes hereafter." | For a correction this line is different: see the formats below. |
| 8. Verification clause | "Verified at Ranchi on this 14th day of September 2026 that the contents of the above affidavit are true and correct to my knowledge and belief." | Without it the document is a statement, not an affidavit. |
| 9. Signature, notary attestation, register number | Your signature in the old name; the notary's seal, signature, date and register entry. | The register number is what a newspaper prints and what the Department checks. |
For a minor, add the child's date of birth and make the parent or guardian the deponent. For a wrongly written name, add each certificate by name with the wrong spelling quoted exactly as printed on it.
Name Change Affidavit Formats Used in Jharkhand: Change, Marriage, Minor and Correction
Four situations, four wordings. The names in every example are illustrative, not real clients.
Format 1: Adult change of name
I, Rakesh Kumar Mahto, son of Bishnu Mahto, aged about 32 years, resident of Sindri, Dhanbad, Jharkhand 828122, do hereby solemnly affirm and declare as follows:
1. That I am a citizen of India and the deponent herein.
2. That my name has been recorded as Rakesh Kumar Mahto in my Aadhaar and other documents.
3. That for reasons of personal preference I have changed my name from Rakesh Kumar Mahto to Rakesh Mahto, and I shall be known as Rakesh Mahto for all purposes hereafter.
4. That this affidavit is made to publish the change in the newspapers and in the Gazette of India and to update my records.
Verification: Verified at Dhanbad on this ___ day of ______ 2026 that the contents of this affidavit are true and correct to my knowledge and belief and nothing material has been concealed.
Deponent (signed as Rakesh Kumar Mahto)
Format 2: Surname change after marriage
Usually the marriage certificate alone does the work for Aadhaar, PAN and the passport, and no gazette is needed. The affidavit is still useful for banks and employers, and it is required if the given name is also changing or documents disagreed before the marriage.
1. That my maiden name is Sunita Kumari, daughter of Ramesh Prasad.
2. That I was married to Anil Verma on 12 February 2026 at Ranchi, and the marriage is registered vide certificate no. ______.
3. That after marriage I have adopted the name Sunita Verma and shall be known by that name for all purposes hereafter.
4. That Sunita Kumari and Sunita Verma are the names of one and the same person, namely myself.
Verification as above. Signed in the name currently on Aadhaar.
Format 3: Minor, through a parent or guardian
1. That the name of my minor daughter is recorded as Sona Soren in her birth certificate and school records.
2. That I have changed her name from Sona Soren to Sonali Soren, and she shall be known as Sonali Soren for all purposes hereafter.
3. That the mother of the minor, Rani Soren, consents to this change (or: that I hold a custody order dated ______).
Verification as above. The parent signs; the child signs nothing.
Format 4: Wrongly written name on certificates (correction)
This is the format most often needed in Jharkhand, and the one the copied pages never show. It does not say "changed my name". It says the name was written wrongly, names each certificate, and quotes each wrong spelling exactly as printed, spacing and capitals included, never tidied.
1. That my actual and correct name is SUNIL TIRKEY, as recorded in my Aadhaar and my JAC Class 10 certificate.
2. That my name has been wrongly written as SUNIL TIRKI in my JAC Class 12 certificate no. ______ dated ______, and as SUNEEL TIRKEY in my graduation marksheet no. ______ issued by ______.
3. That SUNIL TIRKEY, SUNIL TIRKI and SUNEEL TIRKEY refer to one and the same person, namely myself, and my correct name is SUNIL TIRKEY.
4. That this affidavit is made for publication of a public notice in the Gazette of India and for correction of the said records.
Verification as above.
The One-and-the-Same-Person Affidavit: When It Is Enough in Jharkhand
The affidavit that is not step one of anything, and solves more Jharkhand cases than the gazette does.
Hembrom and Hembram. Tirkey and Tirki. Kumar and Kumaar. Two properly issued documents, two spellings, one person. Neither office will change its record, and you do not want a new name; you want the two records accepted as yours. That is a one-and-the-same-person affidavit: it declares that both spellings refer to you, quotes both exactly, and names the documents each appears on.
| Usually accepts the affidavit alone | Usually does not |
|---|---|
| Banks and NBFCs, for KYC where two spellings appear across documents | UIDAI, for a major name change on Aadhaar (a minor spelling fix falls inside the six no-gazette categories and needs the matching document, not an affidavit) |
| Employers, for joining and HR records | Passport Seva, which wants the marriage certificate, the Gazette, or two newspapers plus two documents in the new name |
| Colleges and universities, for admission where a marksheet and an ID differ by a letter | JAC and other boards, which correct only against their own register |
| Insurance and mutual fund KYC, with the two documents attached | Recruitment panels, which test consistency and expect the anchor document corrected or a public notice published |
| Property and utility offices, for a spelling difference on an existing record | Any office that has asked for a Gazette in writing |
If the office you need is in the right-hand column, the affidavit becomes step one of a public notice instead. We tell you which column you are in on the first call.
Where to Swear a Name Change Affidavit in Jharkhand, District by District
Before a notary public, in person, with your Aadhaar in the old name. The court complex in every district has notaries; these are the ones people use most.
Ranchi
Notaries at the civil court complex (Kutchery). Our desk near Shaheed Chowk is a short distance away; we type the affidavit, you read it back, then swear it the same morning.
Jamshedpur
Notaries at the Sakchi civil court complex. Steel and PSU employees who also need a departmental deed can have both prepared together.
Dhanbad
Notaries at the district court complex. Coal sector employees follow the Government employee route for the service book alongside.
Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Deoghar, Giridih
Notaries at each district or sub-divisional court. The affidavit is identical; only the place of verification changes.
Every other district
Dumka, Palamu, Chatra, Koderma, Godda, Sahibganj, Pakur, Jamtara, Latehar, Lohardaga, Gumla, Simdega, Khunti, Saraikela-Kharsawan, West Singhbhum, Garhwa: the district court notary. We send the typed text; you swear it locally.
Outside Jharkhand or abroad
Any notary where you live. Abroad, the affidavit is attested at the Indian Embassy or High Commission. The newspapers must still circulate in Jharkhand if that is your document address.
How to Get a Name Change Affidavit Done in Jharkhand in a Day
Fix the wording first
Decide the route (change, marriage, minor, correction) and the exact new spelling. We send the text on WhatsApp and wait for your written yes. Nothing is printed before that.
Buy the stamp paper
Non-judicial stamp paper from a licensed vendor at the court complex, in the deponent's name. The notary confirms the denomination in use.
Print and read it back
The affidavit is printed on the stamp paper. Read the old name, the new name and the father's or husband's name aloud, letter by letter, before signing.
Swear it before the notary
Sign in the old name in the notary's presence with your Aadhaar; the notary attests, seals and enters it in the register. Take a scan. Book the newspapers the same week.
Where the affidavit goes next, day by day, is on the name change process page.
Name Change Affidavit Cost in Jharkhand: Stamp Paper and Notary
Two small amounts, and one thing the copied pages get wrong about them.
| Item | Typical cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Non-judicial stamp paper | Low denomination, set by the state | Pages quote Rs 20, Rs 50 and Rs 100 for Jharkhand; the vendor and notary confirm the denomination in use on the day. The value does not decide whether the Department accepts the affidavit. |
| Notary attestation | Commonly Rs 100 to Rs 300 | Varies by court complex. Includes the register entry and seal. |
| Affidavit total | Commonly Rs 100 to Rs 500 | Passed on at actual cost, receipt shown. This is the only stage of a name change with no Government fee. |
| Newspapers, next stage | Rs 800 to Rs 4,000 | One Hindi and one English daily, at actual cost. |
| Gazette, the stage after | Commonly Rs 1,100 adult, Rs 1,700 minor, Rs 1,350 public notice | Department of Publication fee on BharatKosh, revised each financial year, non-refundable. Never payable to anyone in Ranchi. |
| Our charge | Quoted per case | Always a separate line. The affidavit alone can be done for you without the rest of the file. |
The full cost of the journey is on the services page, with the Government fee on each service shown separately.
What a Name Change Affidavit Alone Is Accepted For in Jharkhand, and Where It Is Not
The answer that saves the most wasted trips to the Seva Kendra.
| Institution | Affidavit alone | What it actually wants |
|---|---|---|
| Aadhaar, six correction categories | Not needed | The matching supporting document: certificate, marriage certificate, decree or adoption order. |
| Aadhaar, first or full name change | No | The Gazette notification plus an old-name ID, address in the Gazette matching the Aadhaar address. |
| PAN | No | The Gazette, or the marriage certificate for a surname change after marriage. |
| Passport Seva, Ranchi PSK and POPSKs | No | Marriage or divorce: the form alone. Other change: the Gazette or two newspaper notices plus two documents already in the new name. |
| Banks and NBFCs | Yes, as a one-and-the-same-person statement | For a full change, the Gazette or State marriage certificate under the RBI rule. |
| Employers, HR | Usually yes | The Gazette for a full change; the affidavit for a spelling difference. |
| JAC and other boards | No | Correction against the school admission register through the school; a public notice if the register is wrong. An affidavit is never evidence of date of birth. |
| Universities | Sometimes, for a spelling difference | For a change, the Gazette, and the realistic outcome is a linking letter. |
| Recruitment panels, JSSC, JPSC, central | No | Consistency across the anchor document, Aadhaar and the certificates; a public notice where a certificate is wrong. |
| Birth certificate | No | Registrar correction under Section 15 of the RBD Act, 1969, with records; the affidavit is supporting only. |
Affidavit Mistakes That Come Back Six Weeks Later From Delhi
Wording mistakes
- "I have changed my name" used for a correction, or "wrongly written" used for a chosen new name.
- A wrong spelling tidied up in the affidavit instead of quoted exactly as the certificate prints it.
- Certificates described as "my educational certificates" instead of named one by one with numbers.
- No verification clause, or a verification clause without place and date.
- New name with different spacing or initials from what you then give the newspaper.
Execution mistakes
- Signed in the new name. The deponent is the old name as on Aadhaar.
- Sworn months before the newspapers, so it is stale by the time the file is built.
- Minor's affidavit sworn by the child, or by one parent without a custody order.
- Stamp paper bought in someone else's name.
- Original given to a newspaper office and never recovered; the Department wants the original in the file.
Affidavit Terms Explained for Jharkhand Residents
- Deponent
- The person making the sworn statement. In a name change affidavit, you, in your old name; for a minor, the parent or guardian.
- Notary public
- An advocate appointed under the Notaries Act, 1952 to attest documents. Found at every district court complex in Jharkhand. Sufficient for a change of name affidavit; no SDM or magistrate is needed.
- Non-judicial stamp paper
- State-issued paper on which affidavits and agreements are written, bought from a licensed vendor in the deponent's name. The denomination for an affidavit is low and confirmed locally.
- Verification clause
- The closing paragraph stating where and when the affidavit is verified and that its contents are true. It turns a statement into an affidavit.
- Attestation
- The notary's seal, signature, date and register number confirming the deponent signed before them. Newspapers print the register number; the Department checks it.
- Change of name affidavit
- The format declaring that you have adopted a new name and will be known by it. Pairs with the "hitherto known as" Gazette proforma.
- Name correction affidavit
- The format declaring that your name was wrongly written on named certificates, quoting each wrong spelling exactly. Pairs with the PUBLIC NOTICE proforma.
- One-and-the-same-person affidavit
- A standalone affidavit that two spellings on two documents refer to one person. Accepted by banks, employers and colleges; not by boards, passport counters or recruitment panels.
- Minor's affidavit
- Sworn by a parent or natural guardian on the child's behalf, stating the child's date of birth. The child signs nothing. Pairs with the Department's minor specimen form.
- Anchor document
- The record other records are judged against when spellings differ. For most Jharkhand residents, the JAC Class 10 certificate. The affidavit should agree with it.
- Gazette proforma
- The Department of Publication's form, typed in two copies, signed in the old name with two witnesses, whose wording must match the affidavit. The affidavit is attached to it in original.
- Registrar correction
- How a birth certificate is corrected: under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, at the office that holds the register. An affidavit supports it; it does not replace it.
Name Change Affidavit Drafting for All 24 Districts of Jharkhand
We type it, you read it back, you swear it at your own district court.
Get the right affidavit format today
Tell us your old name, the new name and why. We send the correct format for your case on WhatsApp, read it back with you, and tell you whether it is step one of a gazette or enough on its own. Details are on the contact page.
- 📞Call 9540005002
Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM - WhatsApp 9540005064
Send your scans here, it is the fastest way - ✉️info@jharkhandnamechange.com
- 📍Ranchi office: Main Building, Near Shaheed Chowk, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834001
- 🏛️Head office (Gazette filing desk): Metro Pillar No. 377, Near Burari Metro Station, Shop No. B-1, Ground Floor, Gali No. 1, Khasra No. 31/12, Hardev Nagar, Jharoda Majra, Burari, Delhi 110084
Name Change Affidavit in Jharkhand: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a name change affidavit and why do I need one in Jharkhand?
What stamp paper value is needed for a name change affidavit in Jharkhand?
Does the affidavit have to be attested by an SDM or a first-class magistrate?
Do I sign the affidavit in my old name or my new name?
What is the format of a name change affidavit after marriage?
What is the difference between a name change affidavit and a name correction affidavit?
Can an affidavit alone change my name on Aadhaar in Jharkhand?
Is an affidavit enough for a passport name change?
Can I make the affidavit for my child?
How long is a name change affidavit valid in Jharkhand?
What is a one-and-the-same-person affidavit?
Can I make the affidavit online or from outside Jharkhand?
Do I need the affidavit if I only want a spelling corrected on my birth certificate?
What do you charge for an affidavit?
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Official Sources for the Name Change Affidavit in Jharkhand
- Department of Publication, Government of IndiaCivil Lines, Delhi 110054. Change of name guidelines that list the affidavit among the file contents and set the proforma wording it must match.
- The Gazette of India, e-Gazette portalWhere the notice the affidavit leads to is published, in Part IV, and downloaded free.
- BharatKosh, the Non-Tax Receipt PortalThe only channel for the Gazette fee that follows the affidavit.
- e-Gazette JharkhandThe Jharkhand Gazette. Government notifications only; no affidavit leads here.
- Unique Identification Authority of IndiaThe document list that decides when an affidavit is not enough for Aadhaar.
- Passport Seva, Ministry of External AffairsThe documents accepted for a re-issue with a change of name.
- Civil Registration System, Office of the Registrar General of IndiaRegistrar corrections under Section 15 of the RBD Act, 1969, where an affidavit is supporting material only.
The Name Change Affidavit in Jharkhand in Eight Lines
The short version
- A sworn statement on non-judicial stamp paper before a notary at your district court, in the old name as on Aadhaar.
- Nine elements: title, old name, address, parent's or husband's name, exact new name, reason, the declaration, the verification clause, attestation.
- Four formats: adult change, marriage, minor through a parent, wrongly written name with each certificate quoted exactly.
- Change wording and correction wording are not interchangeable; they pair with different Gazette proformas and fees.
- Costs the stamp paper and the notary, commonly Rs 100 to Rs 500. No Government fee at this stage.
- Alone, it satisfies banks, employers and colleges. It does not satisfy UIDAI for a major change, Passport Seva, JAC or recruitment panels.
- It never leads to the Jharkhand Gazette. The next steps are two newspapers and Part IV of the Gazette of India.
- Swear it the week the newspapers are booked and keep the original for the Delhi file.
Get the right format before you buy the stamp paper
Tell us your case on WhatsApp and the correct wording comes back the same day.