Name Change in Dumka
Dumka holds paper for far more people than live in it. It is the headquarters of Santhal Pargana division and the sub-capital of the state, and for well over a century it was the district office for the whole region, so families now living in Deoghar, Godda, Sahibganj, Pakur and Jamtara still find that an old birth entry, an old school record or an old revenue paper was written here. The town is also the most multilingual district headquarters in Jharkhand, with Hindi, Bengali, Urdu and Santali all recorded as official languages, which is exactly how one family ends up with three spellings of the same surname. Add tenancy land where the khatiyan decides the name, and this page is the local map.
For a name change in Dumka, the affidavit is sworn before a notary at the district court, the two newspaper notices go into the Dumka editions of a Hindi and an English daily, Aadhaar is updated at a Seva Kendra in the town, and the Gazette of India file is posted from any Dumka post office to the Department of Publication at Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, because no gazette counter exists in Dumka or anywhere in Jharkhand. Births in the town are registered by Dumka Nagar Parishad and in the rest of the district by the block or panchayat registrar, across Jama, Jarmundi, Masalia, Shikaripara, Kathikund, Gopikandar, Raneshwar, Saraiyahat and the Ramgarh block of this district, which is a different Ramgarh from the district of that name. Because Dumka was the headquarters of the old Santhal Pargana district, older entries for families now in Deoghar, Godda, Sahibganj, Pakur and Jamtara may still sit in registers here, and a register stays with the office that wrote it however the boundaries move. Land in this division is held under its own tenancy law, so on protected land the khatiyan spelling is the name that governs and every other document is aligned to it. Degrees and marksheets from Sido Kanhu Murmu University are corrected through the college to the examination section against the matriculation certificate. School certificates run through your school to the Jharkhand Academic Council, and caste, residence, income and EWS certificates are reissued through JharSewa. In a town with four official languages, most name problems here are corrections, not changes of name.
Search for name change in Dumka and what ranks are marketplace listings from outside the state. One is posted from Greater Noida at Rs 9,999 by an operator claiming to serve more than 1,700 cities. Another, posted from New Delhi, advertises a "Gazette of Dumka", a "Gazette Office in Dumka" and "Gazette Publication in Dumka", and sorts name changes by reason, marriage, remarriage, astrology, religion and dissatisfaction, as though each were a separate product. There is no gazette office in Dumka, the Government fee does not change with your reason, and nobody on that first page tells you which register in this district actually holds your entry.
The process itself is the same across the state and sits on the name change process page; the bill is on the cost page. This page stays local.
At a glance
- District and division
- Dumka district, and the headquarters of Santhal Pargana division; district site dumka.nic.in
- The division
- Six districts: Dumka, Deoghar, Godda, Jamtara, Sahibganj and Pakur
- Town records
- Dumka Nagar Parishad
- Rural records
- Block and panchayat registrars across Jama, Jarmundi, Masalia, Shikaripara, Kathikund, Gopikandar, Raneshwar, Saraiyahat and Ramgarh block
- Old regional records
- Entries from the old Santhal Pargana district, used by families now in five neighbouring districts
- Land
- Tenancy land where the khatiyan spelling governs and transfers are restricted
- University
- Sido Kanhu Murmu University, corrections through your college's examination section
- Languages
- Hindi, Bengali, Urdu and Santali are all official here
- Affidavit
- Notary at the district court; commonly Rs 100 to Rs 500 with stamp
- Gazette
- No counter here; Speed Post to Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, two to four working days
Key takeaways
- Read the issuing office on your certificate; in this division it is often Dumka even for people living elsewhere.
- Santali, Bengali and Urdu names written into Hindi registers are corrections, not changes of name.
- On protected land the khatiyan spelling governs, and Aadhaar is brought to it, never the reverse.
- University marksheets and degrees are corrected against the matriculation certificate.
- A birth entry is corrected by the Registrar under Section 15; a gazette never touches it.
- There is no gazette office in Dumka; the file is built here and posted to Delhi in your own name.
Which Office Holds Your Birth and Certificate Records in Dumka
| Where the record was made | Who holds it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Dumka town | Dumka Nagar Parishad | Apply for a Section 15 correction at its birth and death section |
| Jama, Jarmundi, Masalia, Shikaripara, Kathikund, Gopikandar, Raneshwar, Saraiyahat, Ramgarh block | The block or panchayat registrar | Apply at the block office that registered the birth |
| An old entry for a family now in Deoghar, Godda, Sahibganj, Pakur or Jamtara | Often a register held at Dumka from the old Santhal Pargana district | Read the issuing office on the certificate and apply where it was written |
| Land and revenue papers | The circle office, against the khatiyan | Align other documents to the khatiyan spelling, not the other way round |
| Degrees and marksheets | Sido Kanhu Murmu University's examination section, through your college | Corrected against the matriculation certificate |
| Caste, residence, income and EWS certificates | The Dumka district administration through JharSewa | A fresh certificate in the correct name; certificates are reissued, not amended |
| Divisional escalations | The Santhal Pargana divisional offices here | Useful when a district office in the division will not move a file |
Why Families From Five Districts Still Come to Dumka for Old Papers
Santhal Pargana was created as one district after 1855, with Dumka as its headquarters, and the present districts were separated from it one by one over the last few decades, Deoghar in 1981, then Godda and Sahibganj, later Pakur, and Jamtara in 2001. Every one of those separations moved a boundary. None of them moved a register.
What that means in practice
A birth, a school record or a revenue paper written before your area became its own district was entered in a book held at Dumka, and the correction is applied for where the entry lives, not at your present collectorate.
How to check in one minute
The certificate names its issuing office. If it says Santhal Pargana or Dumka, that is your office. If it names a body that has since been merged or renamed, its successor holds the register; ask at that counter, not at a newer one.
The mirror case
Deoghar families with pre-1981 papers are in exactly this position, which is covered on the Deoghar page. The rule is identical in both directions: the register stays where it was written.
Four Official Languages and One Surname Spelt Three Ways
Dumka records Hindi, Bengali, Urdu and Santali as its official languages, with Maithili-influenced speech alongside them. Santali is written in Ol Chiki as well as in Devanagari and Roman, and Bengali spelling has been used across this belt for generations. A clerk writing what he hears, in whichever script his register uses, is not making a mistake so much as making a variant.
Why it is not a name change
None of these forms is a new name, so the gazette's change of name wording is the wrong instrument and often makes things worse by telling offices you changed your name. The route is a correction at the issuing office.
When a certificate cannot be corrected
If the register itself carries the variant, the route is a public notice in the Gazette of India quoting the wrong spelling exactly, which is a different proforma and a different fee. See the public notice page.
Santali surnames
Murmu, Soren, Hansda, Tudu, Marandi, Hembrom and Kisku appear in several Roman spellings, none of them wrong. Which one your file uses is decided by the ST certificate and the Class 10 certificate, as set out on the tribal surname page.
Tenancy Land, the Khatiyan Name and Why It Comes First
Land in Santhal Pargana is held under the division's own tenancy law, with transfers restricted in ways that do not apply in the Chotanagpur districts. For a name that makes the khatiyan, the record of rights, the document that governs: it is the record of a right, and everything else is aligned to it.
Never correct the khatiyan to your Aadhaar
If the two disagree, the Aadhaar is brought to the khatiyan's form. Changing a recorded tenancy name to match a card is how families create doubt about their own title.
A name change is not a transfer
Publishing a new name and carrying it to the circle office changes how you are named in the record. It is not a transfer and needs none of a transfer's permissions; the property documents page explains the difference.
Get advice for a disputed plot
Where a plot is already contested, or where succession is unclear, a name matter is part of a larger question and needs an advocate. We say so rather than selling a document that will not help.
The Notary, the Newspapers and the Aadhaar Kendras in Dumka
The affidavit
Sworn before a notary at the district court; stamp paper and fee commonly Rs 100 to Rs 500 together. Carry the typed wording and read every spelling back before signing, in the script the document will be used in. No stamp value is prescribed by the Department of Publication.
The two notices
Booked at the classified desks of the Dumka editions of a Hindi daily and an English daily circulating in Jharkhand. The wording must be identical in both, and you buy two complete copies of each on the morning of publication; a cutting returns the file.
Aadhaar and PAN
Seva Kendras operate in the town and at block headquarters; a name update is Rs 50 to Rs 75 per attempt with two in a lifetime. PAN is corrected online. Both are on the Aadhaar page and the PAN page.
The Gazette Route From Dumka: The Central Process, Step by Step and Paper by Paper
Everything before this happens in Dumka; this part does not. There is no gazette counter in Dumka, in Ranchi or anywhere in Jharkhand, whatever a marketplace listing promises, so the file is built here and posted to the Department of Publication in Delhi in your own name. Here is the whole process, in the order it happens, with what each paper says.
Route check and wording, day 0
Confirm that you need a gazette at all: a marriage surname, a divorce and a spelling correction do not, and the six UIDAI categories reach Aadhaar without one. In Dumka the usual case is a Santali or Bengali name written by ear into a Hindi register, which is a correction. Then fix the exact wording and confirm it in writing.
Affidavit, day 1 to 2
Sworn on non-judicial stamp paper before a notary at your district court, in the OLD name as on your current Aadhaar: old name, new name, father's or husband's name, address with pin code, reason, verification clause, notary seal and register number. Stamp paper and notary commonly Rs 100 to Rs 500. Format on the affidavit page.
Two newspaper notices, day 3 to 7
One Hindi daily and one English daily in editions that circulate in Jharkhand, identical wording quoting the affidavit number and date. Keep the complete original page of each paper, masthead and date visible, two copies. Rs 800 to Rs 4,000 at actual cost. Detail on the newspaper page.
Proforma, CD and request letter, day 7 to 8
The Department's proforma typed in two copies, headed "No. ADVT IV /", signed in the old name, two witnesses with full addresses and pin codes, two photographs, self-attested IDs of you and both witnesses; a CD with the notice in Word without the witness portion plus a signed certificate that soft and hard copy match; a request letter to the Controller of Publications. Full list on the documents page.
Fee on BharatKosh, day 8
Only on bharatkosh.gov.in, in your own name, selecting the Department of Publication and the Gazette notification purpose: commonly Rs 1,100 for an adult, Rs 1,700 for a minor, revised each financial year, non-refundable. Print the receipt for the file. No demand draft, no cash, no counter anywhere in Jharkhand.
Delivered in Delhi in your name, day 8 to 10
The five papers, affidavit and pages in original, to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, behind Delhi Vidhan Sabha Metro Station, Delhi 110054, in person or by tracked post in the applicant's name. Our Delhi office delivers Jharkhand files in your name. Nothing is returned, so keep a scanned set.
Published and downloaded, day 40 to 55
Part IV is released weekly; publication commonly takes 30 to 45 days. Search your old or new name on egazette.gov.in, download the free PDF, and note the Gazette number, date and page. No attestation is needed for use in India. A wrong print is corrected by corrigendum within six months.
Then Aadhaar, PAN and every record
Carry the printed Gazette PDF with the affidavit and both newspaper pages to an Aadhaar Seva Kendra in Dumka first, then PAN, then the school, board or university, then the land and revenue records if they carry the name. The gazette pillar, with the July 2025 story of the Jharkhand Gazette, is the gazette name change page.
The five papers, line by line
| Paper | What it contains, clause by clause | The mistake that returns the file |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Affidavit | Title "Affidavit for change of name". Deponent's old name, son or daughter or wife of, age, address with pin code. Clause 1: that the deponent is a citizen of India and a resident of the address. Clause 2: the old name as on Aadhaar and the documents it appears on. Clause 3: that the deponent has decided to be known as the new name, spelt in full, from the date of the affidavit. Clause 4: the reason, in one line. Clause 5: that the old and new names refer to one and the same person. Verification clause: that the contents are true to the deponent's knowledge, sworn at the place on the date. Deponent's signature in the OLD name; notary's seal, signature, register serial and date. | Signed in the new name; a spelling in clause 3 that differs from the proforma by a letter; a photocopy sent instead of the original. |
| 2. Two newspaper pages | Wording: "I, [old name], son or daughter or wife of [name], resident of [address, pin code], have changed my name to [new name] by affidavit No. [number] dated [date] sworn before [notary, place]. Henceforth I shall be known as [new name]." One Hindi daily and one English daily in editions circulating in Jharkhand, on any date after the affidavit. The complete page of each, masthead and date visible, in original, two copies each. | A cutting instead of the page; a notice dated before the affidavit; the two notices worded differently; the new name spelt differently from the affidavit. |
| 3. Proforma, two copies | Headed "No. ADVT IV /" with the date. Wording for a change of name: "I, [old name], son or daughter or wife of [name], employed as [occupation] at [address] or residing at [address], have changed my name and shall hereafter be known as [new name]. It is certified that I have complied with other legal requirements in this connection." Signature in the OLD name. Two witnesses, each with full name, father's name, full address with pin code and signature. Computer typed, no cutting or overwriting. | Handwritten; one witness; a witness without a pin code; signed in the new name; the wrongly-written-name wording used for a change, or the reverse. |
| 4. CD with certificate | The proforma's notice in a Word file, without the witness portion, with the old name typed in place of the signature. A signed certificate on paper: "Certified that the soft copy on the enclosed CD and the hard copy of the notice are the same." The CD labelled with the applicant's name. | A PDF instead of Word; the witness portion left in; the certificate unsigned. |
| 5. Request letter | To the Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. Subject: publication of change of name in the Gazette of India, Part IV. The request, the list of enclosures, the BharatKosh receipt number and date, the applicant's mobile and email, the applicant's signature in the old name. | No receipt number; the letter signed by an agent. |
What goes with the five
Two passport photographs; self-attested copies of the applicant's Aadhaar and PAN and of both witnesses' Aadhaar; the BharatKosh receipt; for an applicant abroad, the affidavit attested by the Indian mission and the higher fee. Documents not older than about a year.
BharatKosh, field by field
bharatkosh.gov.in, Non-Registered Users, Quick Payment; Ministry: Housing and Urban Affairs; Purpose: Department of Publication, Gazette notification; the amount for adult or minor; the payer's name exactly as the old name on the affidavit; the address; UPI, net banking or card. Download the receipt with its transaction reference and print it for the file.
Reading the published notice
The e-Gazette PDF carries the Gazette of India number, the Part IV heading, the date of publication, the page number and your notice in its own paragraph. Every office reads the number, the date and the page; write them on every covering letter. A notice with a misprint is corrected by corrigendum within six months, free where the press erred; a corrected notice is what each office gets.
Where to Go in Dumka, in Order, for a Name Change
Read the issuing office on your certificate
Nagar Parishad, a block office, or an old Santhal Pargana register held here. In this division that line is worth more than any advice.
Settle the spelling against the right anchor
The Class 10 certificate for a person, the khatiyan where land is involved, in the script your records will be kept in.
District court, then the classified desks
The affidavit sworn before a notary, then two notices with identical wording in a Hindi and an English daily, two complete copies of each bought on the day.
Pay on BharatKosh and post the file
Speed Post to Civil Lines, Delhi 110054 in your own name; then Aadhaar here, PAN, the board or university, the bank, the JharSewa certificates and the circle office.
The five papers that go in the envelope are on the gazette documents page; the sending itself on the sending page.
JAC, University and School Name Corrections in Dumka
A Jharkhand Academic Council certificate is corrected against the school's admission register, and the application travels through the school rather than through you, escalated to the District Education Officer or District Superintendent of Education when a school delays or refuses to forward it. Degrees and marksheets from Sido Kanhu Murmu University, which serves this division, are corrected through your college's examination section and against the matriculation certificate produced at admission, so if the Class 10 certificate is itself wrong, that comes first. A degree already printed usually has to be surrendered for a fresh one, which takes weeks to months.
What a Name Change Costs From Dumka
| Item | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Affidavit at the district court | Commonly Rs 100 to Rs 500 | Stamp paper and notary together; no value is prescribed by the Department |
| Two newspaper notices | Rs 800 to Rs 4,000 | Dumka editions cost less than the Ranchi editions of the same dailies |
| Government gazette fee | Commonly Rs 1,100 adult, Rs 1,700 minor, Rs 1,350 public notice | BharatKosh only, in your own name, revised each financial year; the fee does not change with your reason |
| Speed Post to Delhi | At actual cost | Two to four working days from Dumka |
| Birth certificate correction | The parishad's or block's own small fee | Section 15; a margin correction, the original entry is never erased |
| University degree correction | The university's own fee, plus a fresh degree where one was issued | Weeks to months; start early |
| Aadhaar and PAN | Rs 50 to Rs 75; Rs 72 or Rs 107 | Per attempt; Aadhaar is not refunded on rejection |
| Our charge | Quoted per case; the route check is free | Full bill on the cost page |
Name Change Myths and Mistakes in Dumka
The myths the listings carry
- "Gazette of Dumka", "Gazette Office in Dumka", "Gazette Publication in Dumka"; none of them exists.
- Prices from Rs 4,999 to Rs 9,999 posted from outside the state, with no Government fee line.
- Different packages for marriage, remarriage, astrology, religion or dissatisfaction; the Department charges by case, not by reason.
- Operators claiming to serve more than a thousand cities; nobody can sign your papers except you.
The local mistakes
- Applying at your present district for a record written in the old Santhal Pargana register at Dumka.
- Treating a Santali, Bengali or Urdu spelling as a change of name and paying for a gazette.
- Correcting the khatiyan to match an Aadhaar card on tenancy land.
- Correcting a degree before the matriculation certificate.
- Sending a JAC application straight to Ranchi instead of through the school.
Dumka Name Change Terms Explained
- Santhal Pargana division
- The administrative division headquartered at Dumka, covering Dumka, Deoghar, Godda, Jamtara, Sahibganj and Pakur.
- Old Santhal Pargana district
- The single district that once covered the whole region from Dumka, whose registers are still held here.
- Dumka Nagar Parishad
- The municipal council for the town and its registrar of births and deaths.
- Block registrar
- The registering authority for Jama, Jarmundi, Masalia, Shikaripara, Kathikund, Gopikandar, Raneshwar, Saraiyahat and Ramgarh block.
- Khatiyan
- The record of rights in land; on tenancy land its spelling governs and other documents are aligned to it.
- Section 15 correction
- The Registrar's correction of a birth entry under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969; a margin entry, not an erasure.
- Ol Chiki
- The script used for Santali, alongside Devanagari and Roman; a name crossing scripts produces variants, not errors.
- Examination section
- The university office that corrects marksheets and degrees, through your college.
- Anchor certificate
- The matriculation certificate for a person's name; the khatiyan for a land record.
- Public notice
- The gazette route for a name wrongly written on a certificate, quoting the wrong spelling exactly.
- BharatKosh
- The Government's payment portal, the only channel for the gazette fee since October 2018.
- Part IV
- The section of the Gazette of India carrying private notices, published from Delhi and downloaded free.
Name Change Help Across Dumka District and Santhal Pargana
The whole state is covered from our Ranchi desk and the Delhi filing office; other district pages are linked from the services page.
Send your Dumka documents on WhatsApp
Photograph the Class 10 certificate, the Aadhaar, the birth certificate with the office that issued it, and any khatiyan or land paper that carries the name; the first reply says which register holds your entry, whether the case is a correction or a gazette, and what it will cost. If your certificate names the old Santhal Pargana district, we will tell you exactly where to apply. Details 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 in Dumka: Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a gazette office in Dumka?
Why do people from Deoghar and Godda apply at Dumka?
Who corrects a birth certificate in Dumka?
My name is spelt one way in Santali and another in Hindi. Do I need a gazette?
My khatiyan and my Aadhaar do not match. Which one do I change?
How do I correct a Sido Kanhu Murmu University marksheet or degree?
Where do I make the affidavit in Dumka?
Is the gazette fee different for marriage, religion or astrology?
Which newspapers should I use in Dumka?
Can an agent in another city file it for me?
How long does it take from Dumka?
Do you have an office in Dumka?
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Official Sources for Dumka Name Changes
- Dumka district administrationDistrict services, the blocks and the office directory.
- JharSewa e-District portalCaste, residence, income and EWS certificates.
- Civil Registration SystemBirth and death registration and the Registrar's correction route.
- Department of Publication, Government of IndiaThe gazette guidelines, proformas and fees.
- BharatKoshThe only channel for the Government fee since October 2018.
- The Gazette of India, e-Gazette portalWhere the published notice is searched and downloaded free.
Name Change in Dumka in Eight Lines
The short version
- Dumka Nagar Parishad holds the town's registers; the blocks hold the rest of the district.
- Old Santhal Pargana registers held here still serve families in five neighbouring districts.
- Apply where the certificate was issued, not where you live now.
- Hindi, Bengali, Urdu and Santali are all official here, so most name problems are corrections.
- On tenancy land the khatiyan spelling governs; Aadhaar is brought to it.
- University degrees are corrected against the matriculation certificate, through your college.
- There is no gazette office in Dumka; Speed Post to Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, in your own name.
- Three to seven weeks end to end; Government fee commonly Rs 1,100 whatever your reason.
The register stays where it was written
Send your documents on WhatsApp and hear which office holds your entry before you travel to it.