New Passport Number After Name Change: What Happens to Visas and Tickets
When you change your name in an Indian passport you get a new booklet with a new number, not an edited old one. That creates two problems at once, and they have different answers. The first is the new number. For that, the United States, for example, says you can travel on a still-valid visa in your old passport by carrying "your two passports". The second is the new name, which is harder. The same United States page says that if your name has legally changed, "the Department of State recommends that you apply for a new U.S. visa to make it easier for you to travel". In the United Kingdom, you "should update your UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) account if you change your: passport or travel document, name", and you "cannot change your name or your passport or travel document if you're waiting for a visa application decision." So the order in which you do things matters more than any single step.
Separate the two things a passport name change does, because each one has its own answer. First, the number changes. A name change is a reissue, so you get a new booklet with a new number. A valid visa in the old passport does not disappear because the number changed. The United States says that if your visa is still valid, "you can travel to the United States with your two passports, as long as the visa is valid, not damaged, and is the appropriate type of visa". Second, the name changes, and that is the harder problem. The same United States page says that after a legal change of name "through marriage, divorce, or a court ordered name change", "the Department of State recommends that you apply for a new U.S. visa to make it easier for you to travel". In the United Kingdom you should update your UKVI account if you change your passport or your name, but "You cannot change your name or your passport or travel document if you're waiting for a visa application decision." Third, time it. Do not reissue while a visa application is pending. Do not reissue just before a trip booked in your old name. Book tickets in the name printed in the passport you will actually travel on. Fourth, keep the old passport. We could not open Passport Seva's own answers on what happens to the old passport, so ask at your Passport Seva Kendra and make sure you get it back if it holds a valid visa. For any country other than these two, ask that country's mission in writing, because every country decides for itself.
A New Passport Number and a New Name Are Two Different Problems
People worry about "my visa after my name change" as one problem. It is two, and they are not equally serious.
The first problem is the number. A passport name change is a reissue, a new booklet with a new number, and every country that issued you a visa knows you by the old number. But a number change on its own is ordinary. It happens to everybody whose passport runs out and is renewed, and countries are used to it. The United States, for example, simply lets you travel with both passports while the visa in the old one is valid.
The second problem is the name, and it is the one that causes real trouble. A visa issued in one name, sitting in a passport that carries that same name, now has to be matched to a traveller whose new passport carries a different name. Some countries accept that with the right paper. Others would rather you applied again. The United States says, in terms, that it recommends a new visa after a legal name change.
| What changed | What it usually means for a visa |
|---|---|
| Only the number, for example on renewal | Ordinary. The United States lets you travel with both passports while the visa is valid |
| The number and the name, on a name change | Harder. The United States recommends a new visa; the United Kingdom requires your account to be updated |
| A spelling corrected, not a change of name | Still a new name on paper. Treat it as a name change for visa purposes and ask the country concerned |
| Any country other than the two below | Ask its mission in writing. Each country decides for itself |
| The reason for the name change | Keep the proof, such as a marriage certificate, a decree or a gazette notice, with the passports. See affidavit against newspaper against gazette |
US Visa in an Old Passport After a Name Change
The United States Department of State answers both questions on one page, and its answers are worth reading exactly.
On the number alone, it asks: "My old passport has already expired. My visa to travel to the United States is still valid but in my expired passport. Do I need to apply for a new visa with my new passport?" And it answers: "No. If your visa is still valid you can travel to the United States with your two passports, as long as the visa is valid, not damaged, and is the appropriate type of visa required for your principal purpose of travel." The page goes on to say that you present both passports on entry, and the new passport is marked to show the visa is in the other one.
On the name, it asks: "I changed my name. Is my U.S. visa with my old name still valid?" And it answers: "If your name has legally changed through marriage, divorce, or a court ordered name change, you will need to obtain a new passport. Once you have a new passport, the Department of State recommends that you apply for a new U.S. visa to make it easier for you to travel to and from the United States."
| Your situation | What the Department of State says |
|---|---|
| Valid visa in an old passport, same name | Travel with "your two passports", if the visa is valid, undamaged and the right type |
| Valid visa in your old name, name legally changed | "recommends that you apply for a new U.S. visa" |
| Which name changes it lists | "marriage, divorce, or a court ordered name change" |
| If you must travel before a new visa | Not addressed on that page. Carry both passports and proof of the change, and expect questions |
UK eVisa and UKVI Account After a Passport Name Change
The United Kingdom has moved to eVisas, so the question is not about a sticker in a passport but about an online account. GOV.UK says: "You should update your UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) account if you change your: passport or travel document, name, mobile phone number, email address, home address, postal address".
A passport name change gives you two items on that list at once: a new passport and a new name. Both have to be brought up to date in the account, so that your immigration status stays linked to the document you actually travel on.
| The question | What GOV.UK says |
|---|---|
| Must I update the account after a new passport? | Yes: "passport or travel document" is on the list |
| Must I update it after a name change? | Yes: "name" is on the list |
| Can I do it while an application is pending? | No: "You cannot change your name or your passport or travel document if you're waiting for a visa application decision." |
| What that means for timing | Decision first, then reissue, then update |
The Old Passport After a Name Change: Why You Should Keep It
If a valid visa sits in your old passport, that old passport is the only place the visa exists. The United States page quoted above only works if you can produce "your two passports". A traveller who handed in the old booklet and never got it back has lost the visa along with it.
We want to be straightforward about what we could not check. Passport Seva's own question and answer pages would not open for us, because they need a browser to run them, and the mission and consulate pages we tried either did not address the point or would not load. So we are not going to tell you exactly what the Passport Seva Kendra does with the old passport on a reissue, whether it is cancelled and handed back, or on what conditions.
| The step | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Photograph every visa and entry page before the reissue | A record if the booklet is lost or kept |
| Tell the Kendra it holds a valid visa | So the question of returning it is raised at the start, not after |
| Ask whether it will be returned cancelled | We could not verify the Kendra's practice, so ask rather than assume |
| Keep it with the new passport | The United States lets you travel on a valid visa only with "your two passports" |
| Keep the proof of the name change with both | So anybody reading two passports in two names can see why. See passport name change |
When to Reissue Your Passport in a New Name, and What to Do About Tickets
Almost every problem on this page is avoided by doing things in the right order. The single most expensive mistake is reissuing the passport at the wrong moment.
| The situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| A UK visa application is pending | Wait for the decision. GOV.UK says you cannot change your name or passport in the account while you wait |
| Any other visa application is pending | Ask that country's mission before changing the passport it is processing |
| A trip is already booked in your old name | Travel first, reissue after, or change the booking to match the passport you will travel on |
| You hold a valid US visa and have just married | The Department of State recommends a new visa after the passport is reissued. Allow time for it |
| No trips and no pending applications | The easiest moment. Reissue, then update each visa or account at leisure |
| You are abroad and need the change there | A different set of rules applies. See name change for an NRI |
On tickets, the rule of thumb is simple: the name on the ticket should match the name printed in the passport you will actually travel on. A ticket booked in your old name for a trip you will take on your new passport is a mismatch waiting at the check-in counter. If you have a booking in the old name, the safest course is to travel on the old passport before you reissue, or to ask the airline to change the booking to match the new passport before you fly.
How to Handle Visas and Tickets When Your Passport Number Changes
List every valid visa and every pending application
Country, type, expiry. And any application still being decided, because that decides whether you can reissue now at all.
List every booking in your current name
Flights and anything else tied to your passport. Each one must match the passport you will travel on.
Wait for any pending visa decision before reissuing
For the United Kingdom this is a rule: you cannot change your name or passport in your account while you wait for a decision.
Photograph every visa page in the old passport
Before you hand it in. It is your only record if the booklet is not returned.
Tell the Passport Seva Kendra the old passport holds a valid visa
Ask whether it will be returned cancelled. We could not verify the practice, so ask rather than assume.
Reissue the passport in the new name
A new booklet, a new number. See passport name change for the reissue itself.
Keep the old passport with the new one
The United States lets you travel on a valid visa only with "your two passports".
Deal with each visa country by country
For the US, a new visa is recommended after a legal name change. For the UK, update your UKVI account for both the passport and the name. For others, ask the mission.
Rebook anything in the old name
Match every ticket to the passport you will actually travel on.
Carry the proof of the name change when you travel
Marriage certificate, decree or gazette notice, with both passports, until every visa has been replaced or has expired.
Central Gazette Process for a Name From Jharkhand, and Where It Fits a Passport Reissue
No district in Jharkhand has a gazette counter, so a genuine file goes from Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Deoghar or anywhere else in the state to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, and the notice publishes in Part IV of the Gazette of India. As reported in July 2025 the Finance Department stopped personal name change notifications from the Jharkhand Government Press with immediate effect, so there is no state alternative to fall back on.
The Eight Steps of a Name File Sent From Jharkhand
Settle the final name first
Letter by letter, with the spacing you want, and then use exactly that everywhere, Aadhaar included. A corrigendum after publication is a second fee and a second wait.
Pick the category, then its proforma
A genuine change of name is change of Name Adult or Major. A wrongly typed spelling is the public notice for a wrongly written name. Twelve categories exist and only one is yours.
Type the proforma in duplicate
Two originals with two witnesses giving signature, full name, address and mobile number on both copies. A change of name is signed in the old name; a public notice is signed in your own name.
Fill the employment field if it is a change of name
The adult proforma asks for the post of the applicant and the office or company name. A student or a homemaker should still complete it rather than leaving it blank, because a blank field brings the file back.
Publish and keep the original paper
One of the daily local leading newspapers, carrying both names in full, the father or husband name and the residential address. The whole original paper goes in the file, not a cutting.
Pay only through BharatKosh
The Non Tax Receipt Portal and nowhere else since October 2018. Select the Department of Publication by name, read the amount the portal shows on the day, pay in your own name and print the e-receipt.
Check every date, then post it yourself
Nothing in the file older than one year. Personally or by post or courier only, never through an agent or advocate. Photocopy everything first, because nothing sent in comes back.
Read the notice, then update in the right order
Check every word the day it publishes, download the e-Gazette copy, and then update the Aadhaar first, because the system leverages it for unique identification, and let the passport reissue, the bank account and each visa or immigration account follow after it in that order. Carry the notice with both passports until every visa in the old name is replaced or expires.
The Five Papers in the File, and What Is Checked in Each
| The paper | What is checked in it, clause by clause |
|---|---|
| 1. The proforma, in duplicate | That it is the right category format; the existing full name exactly as your documents carry it; the new full name exactly as settled; the father or husband name; the full address with pin code; the post and office or company name where it is a change of name; the signature in the right name for the category; two witnesses complete with signature, full name, address and mobile number |
| 2. The affidavit or undertaking | The same names and address as the proforma, word for word, with wording matching the category. On Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper as our safe default |
| 3. The original newspaper | The original paper, not a cutting; the paper name and date of publication visible; both names carried; the father or husband name and residential address; dated within the last year |
| 4. Photographs, identity proof and any category paper | Two self attested passport photographs; self attested identity and address proof matching the proforma address; both witnesses proofs; and, in a public notice file, the attested photocopy of the connected document carrying the error |
| 5. The CD, its certificate and the BharatKosh receipt | MS Word, without the witness portion, with the name typed in place of the signature; the certificate that the hard copy and the soft copy are the same; the forwarding letter to the Controller of Publication with a telephone number and email; the e-receipt |
The posting detail is on the sending the file to Delhi page, the change of name wording on the proforma format page and the public notice wording on the public notice proforma page, the charge by category on the fee and undertaking page, the reasons files come back on the rejection reasons page, and the download on the download page.
What a New Passport Number Can Cost You in Visas and Tickets
The fees here are set by other governments and by airlines, and they change, so we print none of them. What we can tell you is where the money goes.
| Item | What we can and cannot tell you |
|---|---|
| The Indian passport reissue | Set by the Passport Seva system. See passport name change. We print no figure here |
| A new US visa after a name change | Recommended by the Department of State, and charged by it. We print no figure; check the current fee with the US mission |
| Updating a UK eVisa account | An update to your UKVI account. We did not verify any charge and print none |
| Changing a ticket booked in the old name | Set by the airline. Often the largest avoidable cost on this page |
| A visa application wasted by reissuing mid-application | The most expensive item of all, and entirely avoidable by waiting for the decision |
| A Central Gazette notice | Only where it is your proof of the change. Paid only through BharatKosh, revised each financial year, never refunded |
| What we charge | Quoted on the call. If the answer is simply to wait a few weeks before reissuing, we will say so and charge you nothing |
Myths About Visas and a New Passport Number After a Name Change
| What people believe | What is actually so |
|---|---|
| The name change will be written into my old passport | It is a reissue. A new booklet with a new number |
| A new passport number cancels my visas | The United States lets you travel on a valid visa with "your two passports" |
| A visa in my old name is fine after I change my name | The United States "recommends that you apply for a new U.S. visa" after a legal name change |
| I can update my UK account whenever I like | Not while "waiting for a visa application decision" |
| I can reissue while a visa application is being processed | Wait for the decision, especially for the United Kingdom |
| The old passport does not matter once I have the new one | It is where your valid visas are. Keep it |
| The Kendra always returns the old passport | We could not verify its practice. Ask, and photograph the visa pages first |
| I can book tickets in my new name before the passport arrives | Book in the name of the passport you will travel on |
| Every country treats this the same way | Each country decides for itself. Ask its mission in writing |
| A spelling correction does not count as a name change | On paper it is a new name. Treat it as one for visa purposes |
| I will not need the proof of my name change when travelling | Carry it with both passports until every old visa is replaced or expired |
Key Terms When a Passport Number Changes
| Term | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Reissue | What a passport name change is. A new booklet with a new number |
| Old passport | The previous booklet. Keep it if it holds a valid visa |
| Visa in the other passport | A valid visa carried in the old passport and presented with the new one |
| Number change | Happens on every reissue. Ordinary on its own |
| Name change | The harder problem for a visa, because the visa carries the old name |
| eVisa | The United Kingdom's online immigration status, held in a UKVI account |
| UKVI account | Where a UK eVisa is linked to your passport and name, and where both must be updated |
| Pending application | A visa application not yet decided. Do not reissue during one |
| Proof of the change | Marriage certificate, divorce decree, court order or gazette notice, carried with both passports |
| Booking name | The name on a ticket. Must match the passport you travel on |
| Mission | A country's embassy or consulate, and the place to ask about its own visa rules |
| Written answer | What to ask any mission or office for, so you are not relying on memory at a border |
Passport Name Change Planning Help Across Jharkhand
On this subject the most useful thing we do is put your steps in the right order. We look at your valid visas, any pending applications and any booked trips, and tell you when to reissue and what to do before and after. We prepare the proof of the name change where one is needed, and point you to the right Indian office for the reissue itself. What we will not do is tell you what a foreign government will decide about your visa, because only its mission can, and we will not hurry you into a reissue that a few weeks of waiting would make painless. We help people across Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Deoghar and every other district, and people from Jharkhand living abroad, on scans over WhatsApp.
District pages are linked from the services page.
Send your visas, applications and bookings
Send a photograph of your passport's front page and of every page with a valid visa. Tell us about any visa application still being decided, and send the details of any trip already booked. Add the proof of your name change if you already have it, such as a marriage certificate or a decree. Tell us in one line why the name is changing and when you need to travel next. Our first reply tells you whether to reissue now or wait, what to do about each visa, and what to do about each booking. If the answer is simply to wait until your pending application is decided, we will tell you that and charge you nothing. 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
New Passport Number After Name Change: Frequently Asked Questions
Will my passport number change if I change my name?
Is my US visa in the old passport still valid?
I changed my name after marriage. Do I need a new US visa?
I have a UK eVisa. What do I do after changing my name?
My UK visa application is still pending. Can I reissue my passport now?
Will I get my old passport back?
What about visas for other countries?
I booked tickets in my new name before the passport came. Is that a problem?
I only corrected a spelling, not my name. Does this still apply?
What should I carry when I travel on an old visa?
When is the best time to reissue my passport in a new name?
How much of this can you actually do for us?
Official Sources on Visas After a Passport Name Change
| Source | What it is used for on this page |
|---|---|
| United States Department of State, visa questions: the basics | The most important link on this page. Travelling with "your two passports" on a valid visa in an old passport; and the recommendation to apply for a new visa after a legal name change through "marriage, divorce, or a court ordered name change" |
| GOV.UK, updating your UK Visas and Immigration account details | That a new passport and a new name must both be updated in the UKVI account, and that neither can be changed "if you're waiting for a visa application decision" |
| What we could not verify | What the Passport Seva Kendra does with the old passport on a reissue, because Passport Seva's own pages would not open for us; the position of any country other than the two quoted; and every fee on this page |
| Our other pages on the neighbouring steps | The reissue itself, on the passport name change page; the change abroad, on the NRI page; the full order after marriage, on the marriage page |
| Each country's own mission, and your Passport Seva Kendra | The sources that outrank this page. The mission on what it will accept; the Kendra on the old passport. Ask both in writing |
New Passport Number After Name Change in Nine Lines
The short version
- A passport name change is a reissue with a new number.
- A new number and a new name are two separate problems.
- The US lets you travel on a valid visa with both passports.
- After a legal name change, the US recommends a new visa.
- In the UK, update your UKVI account for the passport and the name.
- You cannot do that while a UK visa decision is pending.
- So never reissue during a pending visa application.
- Keep the old passport, and photograph its visa pages first.
- Book tickets in the name of the passport you will travel on.