Public Notice Fee and Undertaking in the Gazette
A public notice does not cost the same as a change of name, and almost every website quotes you the change of name figure. The Department of Publication prints a separate charge for each of its categories. Its public notice guidelines print one amount, its adult change of name guidelines print another, and its overseas figure is nothing like what the fee blogs quote. All of them carry the same sentence, that the amount varies each financial year and varies from case to case. So the honest answer to what a public notice costs is in two parts: here is what the Department itself prints, and here is what the portal will show you on the day you pay. This page gives both, explains where the undertaking fits, and is clear that not one rupee of it comes back if the file is returned.
The Government charge for a public notice is not the same as for a change of name, and the Department of Publication prints a different figure in each category's guidelines. For the financial year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 its published guidelines print Rs 1,400 for a public notice, Rs 1,100 for a change of name of an adult or major, Rs 1,400 for a change of name and gender, and Rs 3,500 for an Indian living abroad. Every one of those guidelines adds, in its own words, that the amount varies each financial year and varies from case to case. So treat all four as the Department's own baseline rather than today's bill, and read the amount BharatKosh shows you on the day. In practice applicants in Jharkhand are commonly quoted around Rs 1,350 for a public notice, made up of the basic charge plus an amount for the undertaking, and Rs 1,700 where the notice is for a minor. The undertaking is not an optional extra, it is one of the papers the Department's own list asks for, signed by the applicant and carrying the same names and address as the proforma word for word. Three things about this money matter more than the figure itself. It is paid through BharatKosh only, the Non Tax Receipt Portal, and nowhere else since October 2018. It is not refundable, so a file returned for a wrong proforma or a paper older than one year costs you the whole charge again. And it does not include the newspaper, the notary or the courier, which are paid to other people entirely.
Public Notice Fee and Change of Name Fee, Category by Category
These are the figures printed in the Department's own published guidelines, each in the guideline for that category, all for the financial year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017.
| Category | Printed charge | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Public notice | Rs 1,400 | A name that has been wrongly written, and the related cases the Department lists under this category |
| Change of name, adult or major | Rs 1,100 | An adult choosing a different name. This is the figure nearly every website quotes, whatever your case is |
| Change of name and gender | Rs 1,400 | Name and gender together, which is its own guideline with its own extra requirements |
| Indian living abroad | Rs 3,500 | Printed in the adult change of name guidelines for applicants overseas |
| Minor | Commonly Rs 1,700 | A child's notice published by a parent or guardian. This is what applicants are commonly quoted; we have not seen it in the guideline pages we have read, so we mark it as commonly quoted rather than printed |
Where the Undertaking Fits in a Public Notice, and What It Adds
People ask about the undertaking as though it were an add-on sold to them. It is not. The Department's own document list for a public notice opens with an undertaking duly signed by the applicant. It is one of the required papers, like the newspaper and the proforma.
What it says
That the contents are true and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief, and that if any legal issue arises at any stage you will be personally responsible. It carries your correct name, the wrongly written version, your father's or husband's name and your address.
What it must match
The proforma, word for word. The same correct spelling, the same wrong version, the same father's name, the same address with the same pin code. A difference between the two papers is a difference a counter will pick up.
What we do with it
We prepare it on Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper with a notary. The Department's list asks for it duly signed; the stamp paper and notary are our safe default because the offices in Jharkhand that later receive the gazette copy usually expect to see it in that form.
The Rs 1,350 Figure You Will Hear, Explained Honestly
Applicants in Jharkhand are commonly told that a public notice comes to around Rs 1,350, made up of the basic charge plus an amount for the undertaking. You will also see the Department's own guideline print Rs 1,400 for this category. Both numbers are in circulation and we are not going to pretend one of them is the single truth.
| The figure | Where it comes from | How to treat it |
|---|---|---|
| Rs 1,400 | Printed in the Department's public notice guidelines, for the financial year 2016 to 2017, with the note that it varies each financial year and from case to case | The Department's own baseline for this category. Useful for comparing categories, not for budgeting today |
| Rs 1,350 | The structure applicants are commonly quoted, the basic charge plus an amount for the undertaking | Closer to what people actually pay, but still not a price you should lock in before seeing the portal |
| What BharatKosh shows | The live amount for your case on the day you pay | This is the one that counts. Everything else is background |
The wording of the undertaking, the certification line inside the proforma and the witness block are all set out on the public notice proforma format page, and the affidavit wording generally is on the name change affidavit page.
Extra Names, Extra Matter and Additional Gazette Charges
The phrase in the guidelines is that the charge varies from case to case, and the Department publishes a separate note titled details where additional charges are applicable. Together those tell you the charge is not one flat number for everybody. Here is what moves it in practice.
More names in one notice
A father covering three children, or a notice carrying both your name and your father's. Cheaper than separate notices, but not the price of a single name. The combining rules are on the one notice for several certificates page.
More documents listed
Each certificate named with its roll number and year lengthens the matter. Worth doing anyway, because a document not named is a document the notice does not cover.
A longer newspaper matter
This is not a Government charge at all. The paper charges by length, and a public notice showing the details of the case runs longer than a one-line change of name announcement, so people are surprised by the newspaper bill rather than the gazette one.
A corrigendum later
The most expensive extra of all, because it is a second notice. It is what a wrong letter in the published text costs, and it is avoidable by reading the notice the day it appears.
How to Pay the Public Notice Fee Correctly From Jharkhand
Settle the category first
Public notice or change of name. The charge follows the category, and paying the wrong one does not fix a file prepared on the wrong proforma. The decision is on the correction against change page.
Count the names and documents
Decide before you pay how many people and how many certificates the notice will carry, because that is part of what the amount depends on.
Open BharatKosh, not a payment link
The Non Tax Receipt Portal is the only channel since October 2018. Reach it yourself rather than through a link somebody sends you.
Select the Department by name
The payment goes to the Department of Publication under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Pick the Ministry, the Pay and Accounts Office and the Drawing and Disbursing Officer by their names in the dropdown, never by a code copied off a website, because the codes printed online for this office do not agree with each other.
Read the amount the portal shows
Not the figure from a blog, not the one on this page. What the portal shows for your case on that day is the amount.
Pay in the applicant's own name
The name on the payment should be the name on the proforma. A receipt in a relative's or an agent's name is a question waiting to be asked.
Print the e-receipt for the file
Print it, keep a scan, and put the printed copy in the file. A payment you cannot show is a payment that did not happen as far as the file is concerned.
Post the file soon after paying
Nothing in the file may be older than one year, so a receipt sitting unused while you gather papers eats into that window. Pay when the rest of the file is nearly ready.
The Full Cost of a Public Notice From Jharkhand, Item by Item
The Government charge is one line of the bill. Here is the whole of it, and who each part is paid to.
| Item | Paid to | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Government printing charge | Department of Publication, through BharatKosh | Guidelines print Rs 1,400 for a public notice, revised each financial year and varying from case to case. Commonly quoted around Rs 1,350 with the undertaking, Rs 1,700 for a minor. Read the portal on the day |
| Newspaper advertisement | The newspaper | Charged by length, and a public notice showing the details of the case is longer than a change of name line. Varies by paper and by edition, so we quote it for your case rather than printing a range that would be wrong for half our readers |
| Undertaking | Stamp vendor and notary | Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper is our safe default in Jharkhand, plus the notary's charge |
| Attested photocopies | Wherever you get them attested | One for every certificate carrying an error, plus identity and address proofs for you and both witnesses |
| Photographs | The photo studio | Two recent passport size, self-attested |
| Post or courier to Delhi | India Post or the courier | Sent in the applicant's own name, from any district. Keep the receipt |
| Afterwards, the offices | Each office | The board, JharSewa, Aadhaar and the rest each have their own small charges, and they come after the notice, not with it |
| Our charge | Us | Quoted on your papers before you pay anything, and confirmed in writing. We print no service price on any page of this site |
The whole journey across every stage is on the name change cost page, and the change of name stage on its own is on the gazette time and fees page.
Central Gazette Public Notice Process From Jharkhand, Step by Step, Before You Pay Anything
No district in Jharkhand has a gazette counter, so the file goes from Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Hazaribagh 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 cheaper state route to compare against.
The Eight Steps of a Central Gazette File Sent From Jharkhand
Settle the correct spelling first
Letter by letter, and then use that version in every paper. A wrong letter after publication is a corrigendum, which means paying the whole charge a second time.
Pick the category, then its proforma
The Department runs twelve separate guideline categories and prints a different charge for several of them. Public notice for a wrongly written name, change of name for an adult, another for a minor, another for a maiden surname.
Type the proforma in duplicate
Two originals, the error quoted exactly, every document named, signed by you in your own correct name with two witnesses giving signature, full name, address and mobile number.
Sign the undertaking
One of the required papers, not an optional extra. Same names and address as the proforma, word for word, on Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper with a notary as our safe default.
Publish and keep the original paper
One of the daily local leading newspapers, the matter showing the details of the case. The whole original paper goes in the file, and the paper charges by length.
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, pay in the applicant's 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. Photocopy the whole set first, because nothing sent in comes back, neither the original nor the photocopy.
Read the notice, then download it
Check every letter and every document name the day it publishes, note the page and issue number, and download the e-Gazette copy of that Part IV issue to keep permanently.
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 public notice format; the wrong version quoted exactly as the document prints it; the correct version; the relationship line where the error is in a parent's name; the father's or husband's name; the full address with pin code; your signature in your own name; two witnesses complete with mobile numbers |
| 2. The undertaking | Signed by the applicant; the same names and address as the proforma, word for word; the declaration that the statement is true and correct, with personal responsibility accepted if a legal issue arises later |
| 3. The original newspaper | The original paper, not a cutting; the paper's name and date of publication visible; the details of the case shown; the same spelling as the proforma; dated within the last year |
| 4. Photographs, identity proof and the connected document | Two self-attested photographs; identity and address proof matching the proforma address; both witnesses' proofs; and the attested photocopy of the document carrying the error |
| 5. The CD, its certificate and the BharatKosh receipt | MS Word, without the witness portion, name typed in place of the signature; the certificate that hard and soft copies are the same; the forwarding letter to the Controller of Publication with a telephone number and email; and the e-receipt showing payment to the Department of Publication in the applicant's own name |
The posting detail is on the sending the file to Delhi page, the download on the download page, the status check on the status page, and the fix for a published error on the corrigendum page.
What You Lose If the Gazette File Is Returned
This is the part of the money question that nobody selling you a service wants to open with, and it is the part that should decide how carefully you prepare the file.
The charge does not come back
BharatKosh payments for this are not refundable. A file returned because it was on the wrong proforma, because a paper was older than a year, because the newspaper was a cutting rather than the whole page, or because the soft copy carried the witness lines, costs you the charge you already paid. You then pay it again with the corrected file.
The papers do not come back either
The Department states that documents once submitted will not be returned in any circumstances, neither the original nor the photocopy. So the original newspaper page you sent is gone, and a fresh application means publishing in the newspaper again and paying the paper again.
| The mistake | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Wrong category, a correction sent on the change of name proforma | The whole charge, plus retyping everything and usually republishing |
| A paper older than one year | Often the newspaper page, which means a fresh advertisement and a fresh wait |
| The soft copy copied straight from the signed form | A return for a file that was otherwise complete, and the charge with it |
| Only one original proforma, the second a photocopy | The same, and easily avoided by typing and signing both |
| A wrong letter published in the notice | A corrigendum, which is a second notice at its own charge |
| A document left out of the notice | A fresh notice later to cover it, at the full charge |
Myths About the Public Notice and Gazette Fee
"The gazette fee is Rs 1,100 for everybody"
That is the figure printed for a change of name of an adult. The public notice guidelines print Rs 1,400, and the overseas figure in the adult guidelines is Rs 3,500. The charge follows the category, and every one of those figures carries the varies each financial year note.
"The undertaking is an extra somebody sold me"
The Department's own document list for a public notice opens with an undertaking duly signed by the applicant. Leaving it out does not save money, it returns the file.
"I can pay at a counter in Ranchi"
No counter in Jharkhand takes this. BharatKosh is the only channel since October 2018, and nobody at the Department takes cash.
"If they reject it, I get my money back"
You do not. The payment is not refundable, and the papers are not returned either, neither the original nor the photocopy.
"An agent can pay it on his portal"
There is no other portal. A payment made anywhere else has not reached the Department, whatever receipt you were shown.
"The quoted NRI fee is the Government fee"
The Department's adult guidelines print Rs 3,500 for an Indian living abroad. Higher figures quoted online usually bundle a service charge. Ask any provider which part is Government fee and which is his.
"Adding my children costs nothing extra"
The charge varies from case to case and the Department publishes a note on additional charges. One notice for the family is much cheaper than several, not free for the extra names.
"The newspaper is part of the gazette fee"
It is paid to the newspaper, not the Department, and it is charged by length. A public notice runs longer than a change of name line, so it costs more at the paper.
"I will pay first and collect the papers later"
Risky, because nothing in the file may be older than one year and the clock is already running on whatever you have. Pay when the rest of the file is nearly ready.
Key Terms in the Gazette Fee and Undertaking
| Term | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Printing charge | The Department's own name for the Government fee. Each category prints its own, and each says it varies each financial year and from case to case |
| BharatKosh | The Non Tax Receipt Portal, the only channel for this payment since October 2018 |
| Non-refundable | The charge is not returned if the file is rejected, returned or abandoned |
| Undertaking | A required signed paper stating the contents are true and accepting personal responsibility if a legal issue arises later. Not optional |
| Additional charges | The Department publishes a note on details where additional charges are applicable, which is how extra names or extra matter are handled |
| Corrigendum | A follow-up notice correcting a published one, and a second charge |
| Controller of Publication | The officer the forwarding letter and the file are addressed to |
| Part IV | The weekly Part of the Gazette of India that carries personal notices |
Fee Checks and Filing Across Jharkhand
Send your papers from any district over WhatsApp and we will tell you which category you are in, what the portal shows for your case, and the total before you pay a rupee.
District pages are linked from the services page.
Get your own figure before you pay
Photograph the document carrying the wrong name, one document carrying the correct version, and your Aadhaar. The first reply tells you which of the Department's categories you are in, whether the issuing office can fix it without any gazette at all, how many names the notice will carry, and the total cost including the newspaper and the notary, in writing, before you pay anything. If more than one person in the family is affected, say so, because one notice is much cheaper than several. 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
Public Notice Fee and Undertaking: Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a gazette public notice cost?
Why is the public notice fee different from the change of name fee?
Is the undertaking compulsory, or can I skip it?
What is the Rs 1,350 figure people keep quoting?
Do I get the money back if my file is rejected?
Does it cost more to cover three children in one notice?
Where exactly do I pay, and what do I select?
Can I pay in my father's name or through an agent's account?
Why do NRI fees online look so much higher than Rs 3,500?
Is the newspaper cost part of the gazette fee?
How long is my payment good for?
I am in Ranchi. Is there any cheaper state route?
Official Sources for the Gazette Fee and Undertaking
- BharatKosh, Non Tax Receipt PortalThe only channel for the printing charge, and the place that shows the current amount for your case.
- Department of Publication, guidelines for change of nameWhere each category's guideline prints its own charge, alongside the note on details where additional charges are applicable.
- Department of Publication, Government of IndiaThe office at Civil Lines, Delhi 110054 and the Controller of Publication the file is addressed to.
- e-GazetteWhere the published Part IV notice is downloaded free, so a paid copy is never necessary.
- Jharkhand Academic CouncilThe board side, whose own correction fee is separate and confirmed case by case.
- UIDAIThe Aadhaar update afterwards, which carries its own fee per attempt and no refund.
The Public Notice Fee in Eight Lines
The short version
- Each category prints its own charge, so a public notice is not a change of name.
- The guidelines print Rs 1,400 for a public notice and Rs 1,100 for an adult change of name.
- They print Rs 3,500 for an Indian living abroad, far below the usual online quotes.
- Every figure carries the words varies each financial year and from case to case.
- Applicants are commonly quoted around Rs 1,350, and Rs 1,700 for a minor.
- The undertaking is a required paper, not an optional extra.
- BharatKosh is the only channel, and the payment is not refundable.
- The newspaper, the notary and the courier are paid to other people entirely.
Know the category, and you know the charge.
Send your papers and we will tell you which category you are in and the full total in writing, before you pay a rupee.