Three different wordings • Marriage needs no extra proof • A surname addition is a name change

Surname Change Affidavit Format in Jharkhand

An affidavit is the cheapest paper in this whole subject, and the one most often written wrongly. The mistake is using one wording for every situation. A woman taking her husband's surname, a person whose two documents carry two versions, and somebody adding a surname that was never on any record are making three different statements, and a counter reads them differently. There is an official line that settles a lot of this. Passport rules treat a change following marriage, remarriage or divorce as needing no further proof, while they expressly count a surname addition, a revert to a maiden name without a divorce, a change on attaining adulthood and a minor spelling change as a name change that does need a gazette or two newspaper advertisements plus two documents already in the new name. This page gives the three wordings, the clauses a counter looks for, and the stamp paper and notary detail.

📞 Call 9540005002 WhatsApp 9540005064 The three wordings

3Different wordings for three different situations

2Documents already in the new name, where it is a name change

100Rupee non-judicial stamp paper, the safe default

0Extra proof needed after marriage or divorce

Reviewed by the Jharkhandnamechange.com documentation desk • Updated 18 September 2026

Quick answer

A surname change affidavit is a sworn statement on non-judicial stamp paper, signed before a notary, and Rs 100 stamp paper is the safe default in Jharkhand. What it says depends entirely on which of three situations you are in, and using the wrong wording is what gets a file sent back. After marriage, the affidavit records that you married on a stated date, that your name before the marriage was one thing and is now another, and that both names belong to the same person, with the marriage certificate attached. Where two documents already carry two versions, the affidavit does not change anything at all, it declares that you are one and the same person and names the two documents, which is what banks, employers and insurers in Jharkhand usually ask for. Where you are adding a surname that no record ever carried, the affidavit records that you are taking that surname going forward, and an affidavit alone will usually not be enough, because that case is treated as a name change. The passport rules put it plainly: a change following marriage, remarriage or divorce needs no further proof, while a surname addition, a revert to a maiden name without divorce, a change on attaining adulthood or a minor spelling change is counted as a name change, needing a gazette notification or clippings of two newspapers plus at least two public or school documents already issued in the desired name. The same rules also say that a spelling correction which phonetically does not change the name is not treated as a name change at all. Know which box you are in before you pay a notary.

Check this first

When a Surname Affidavit Is Enough, and When It Is Not

Surname change affidavit format on stamp paper with notary stamp for Jharkhand — Three situations, three wordings. Using one template for all of them is the commonest mistake.

The passport service's own name change affidavit sets out the clearest test anywhere in Indian documentation, and it applies far beyond passports because most offices follow the same logic.

When a change needs only an affidavit and when it is treated as a name change
Your situation	How it is treated	What you need
Taking a husband's surname after marriage, adding a spouse's name, a divorcee deleting a spouse's name, or a remarried applicant updating the name	No further proof needed	The affidavit with the marriage certificate or decree. No gazette, no newspaper
Adding a surname that no record carried, reverting to a maiden name while not divorced or widowed, changing a name on attaining adulthood, or a minor modification of the name	Treated as a name change	A gazette notification or clippings of two newspapers, plus at least two public or school documents already issued in the desired name
A spelling correction which phonetically does not result in a change of the name	Not a name change at all	The correction route at the issuing office, not a gazette. The spelling correction page routes this
Two live documents carrying two versions, with nothing being changed	A declaration, not a change	A one and the same person affidavit, which most banks and employers accept. The alias page compares the routes

Read the second row twice if you are adding a surname. People assume that adding one word is smaller than changing a whole name, and the rules say the opposite: a surname addition is counted as a name change. So an affidavit on its own will usually not carry it, and you will need the gazette or the two newspapers plus two documents already in the new name. That is the honest position, and it is why we say on the adding a surname page that the school record is the cheap door.

The two-newspaper question, settled. Different offices ask for different things and both are correct in their own place. The passport route names clippings of two newspapers as an alternative to a gazette notification. The Department of Publication, when you actually publish a gazette notice, asks for one original newspaper carrying the advertisement. So two is a passport requirement, not a gazette requirement, and anybody telling you the Gazette itself demands two papers has confused the two routes.

The wordings

The Three Surname Affidavit Wordings, and Which Is Yours

These are written in our own words, in the shape that offices in Jharkhand accept. Fill your own details and have it typed, never handwritten.

One: The Married Surname Affidavit

What it says. That you, daughter of your father and wife of your husband, aged and residing at your address, do solemnly declare: that your name before marriage was the maiden name; that you were married on a stated date, the marriage being registered with the certificate numbered and dated; that since the marriage you are known by the married name; that both names refer to one and the same person, namely yourself; that your Aadhaar and PAN numbers are stated and remain unchanged; and that the declaration is made to have your name updated in records. Ending with the verification that everything stated is true to the best of your knowledge and belief, with nothing concealed.

Notice what this wording does not do. It does not renounce anything, because a marriage name change is supported by a certificate and needs no renunciation. It names both versions and ties them to one person, which is exactly what a bank or an employer needs in order to move your record.

Two: The One and the Same Person Affidavit

What it says. That your name is recorded as one version in a named document, with its number, and as another version in a second named document, with its number; that both refer to one and the same person, namely yourself; that this happened because of how the records were written and not because you hold two identities; that the correct and current version is the one you state; and the same verification clause. Both documents are named with their numbers, which is the part people leave out and the part that makes it usable.

This one changes nothing at all. It is a declaration, which is why it is the cheapest paper in this subject and why banks, insurers, employers and colleges in Jharkhand accept it so often. Where it is usually not enough is a recruitment verification panel, which wants a Government publication, and a board, which works from its own register.

Three: The Surname Addition Affidavit

What it says. That your name in your records is stated, carrying no surname or a different one; that you have renounced your former name or surname and assumed the new one; that you will be known by the new name for all purposes and will use it in all records, deeds and writings from this day; that both names refer to one and the same person; and the verification clause. The renunciation and the promise to use the new name everywhere are what make this a name change wording rather than a declaration.

And this one rarely travels alone. Because a surname addition is counted as a name change, the affidavit usually has to be accompanied by a gazette notification or two newspaper clippings, plus at least two public or school documents already issued in the desired name. An affidavit by itself, handed across a counter, will often come back. Plan the whole route before you pay the notary.

Which One to Pick

A certificate exists

Marriage, remarriage or divorce. Use wording one, attach the certificate or decree, and expect no gazette.

Nothing is changing

Two records, two versions, one person. Use wording two, name both documents with their numbers.

You are taking a new surname

Use wording three, and plan for the gazette or the two newspapers plus two documents in the new name.

What is checked

The Clauses a Counter Reads For in a Surname Affidavit

A clerk does not read your affidavit as a story. He scans for a handful of things, and a missing one sends you back to the notary.

The clauses a counter checks in a surname change affidavit
The clause	Why it is there
Both versions of the name, in full	Spelt exactly as each document carries them, letter for letter. An affidavit that describes a change without reproducing both names gives the counter nothing to match
One and the same person	The sentence that actually does the work. Without it the affidavit proves nothing about the link between the two records
Father's name and, where relevant, husband's name	How you are distinguished from somebody else with a similar name. It should match the identity proof attached
Full address with pin code	Matching the identity proof. A Ranchi address in the affidavit and a Bokaro one on the Aadhaar is picked up quickly
Aadhaar and PAN numbers	Institutional formats commonly ask for these and state that they remain unchanged, which closes off the question of a second identity
The documents named, with numbers	The marriage certificate with its number and date, or the two records carrying the two versions. Naming them is what makes the affidavit usable at a counter
Renunciation, only where it is true	That you have given up the former name and will use the new one in all records, deeds and writings. Correct for a name change, wrong for a marriage case, and wrong for a declaration where nothing is changing
The verification clause	That everything stated is true to the best of your knowledge and belief and that nothing has been concealed. Without it, it is a letter rather than an affidavit
Signature, date and place	Signed in your own presence before the notary, not signed at home and carried in

The renunciation clause is the one that gets misused. Agents keep one template and put the renunciation into every affidavit, including a woman's marriage affidavit and a one and the same person declaration. That is how a woman ends up with a sworn statement saying she gave up her former name, when the whole point of her marriage certificate is that the two names are linked rather than one being abandoned. Read your draft for this sentence before you sign.

The physical paper

Stamp Paper, Notary and Photograph on a Surname Affidavit

Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper

Our safe default across Jharkhand. Smaller values are used in places and are often accepted, but a Rs 100 paper is never the reason a file comes back, and the difference is a few rupees against a wasted trip.

Typed, not handwritten

Typed on the stamp paper itself where possible, or printed and attached in the usual way your notary does it. A handwritten affidavit invites a second look at every counter.

Sworn before the right person

The passport service's own affidavit says it is to be signed in the presence of a Judicial Magistrate or Executive Magistrate, a Notary Public or a Consular Officer. For ordinary work in Jharkhand a notary is what you will use, at the civil court or a notary's office.

The photograph, attested

Institutional formats commonly carry a passport size photograph of the deponent, attested by the notary with signature and stamp partly across the photograph. If the office you are going to asks for this, get it done at the same sitting rather than returning.

Ask the notary for the register entry. Every notarised affidavit is entered in the notary's register with a number and date, and that number is printed or written on your affidavit. An office that doubts the paper checks that entry, so make sure it is legible before you leave, and photograph the affidavit the moment you receive it.

Do not backdate anything, and do not accept a pre-signed blank. An affidavit is a sworn statement and the undertaking inside it makes you personally responsible for what it says. A notary who offers to prepare it without you present, or to put an earlier date on it, is offering you a problem rather than a shortcut.

In order

How to Get a Surname Change Affidavit Made in Jharkhand

Settle which of the three situations you are in

A certificate exists, nothing is changing, or you are taking a new surname. The wording follows from this, and getting it wrong is the whole problem.

Write both versions of the name down

Exactly as each document carries them, letter for letter, and note which document each one is on with its number.

Ask the receiving office what it wants

In writing if you can. Some want the photograph attested, some want specific clauses, and a two minute question saves a second notary visit.

Get the supporting document ready

The marriage certificate with its number and date, or the two records carrying the two versions, or the two public or school documents already in the new name where this is a name change.

Have it typed on Rs 100 stamp paper

With the clauses in the previous section, and without a renunciation clause unless it is genuinely a name change.

Sign before the notary, in person

With your identity proof. Get the photograph attested if the office needs it, and check the notary's register number and date.

Take several copies at once

Almost every office keeps one. Getting attested copies at the same sitting saves a run of trips.

Use it in the right order

Aadhaar first where a name is moving, then PAN, then the bank, then the rest, with the passport last. The full order is on the surname after marriage page.

One affidavit, many offices. You do not need a fresh affidavit for each counter. One correctly worded affidavit with attested copies serves the whole run, which is why it is worth spending ten minutes on the wording rather than accepting whatever template the notary's typist has open.

The full process

Central Gazette Name Change Process From Jharkhand, Step by Step, Where the Affidavit Is Not Enough

Where your case is counted as a name change, the affidavit is one paper in a larger file. No district in Jharkhand has a gazette counter, so that 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 state alternative.

The Eight Steps of a Central Gazette File Sent From Jharkhand

Fix the final name before anything else

First name and surname, letter by letter, and then use that version in the affidavit, the newspaper and the proforma alike. A corrigendum after publication is a second fee and a second wait.

Pick the category, then its proforma

The Department runs twelve guideline categories. Change of name for an adult, adopting a different surname and adopting a maiden surname are three of them, and a misprint is a public notice instead. Download only the one that fits.

Type the proforma in duplicate

Two originals, signed in the existing name for a change of name, with two witnesses giving signature, full name, address and mobile number on both copies.

Sign the undertaking

The Department asks for an undertaking duly signed by the applicant, carrying the same names and address as the proforma word for word. This is where your affidavit work pays off, because the wording is already settled.

Publish and keep the original paper

One of the daily local leading newspapers for the gazette file, carrying the old name, the new name, the father's or husband's name and the address. The whole original paper goes in.

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 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 download it

Check the old name and the new name letter by letter the day it publishes, note the page and issue number, and download the e-Gazette copy of that Part IV issue.

The Five Papers in the File, and What Is Checked in Each

The five papers of a Central Gazette file and what the Department checks in each
The paper	What is checked in it, clause by clause
1. The proforma, in duplicate	That it is the right category's format; the existing name exactly as your documents carry it; the new name; the father's or husband's name; the full address with pin code; the signature in the right name; two witnesses complete with signature, full name, address and mobile number
2. The undertaking or affidavit	Signed by the applicant; the same names and address as the proforma, word for word; the declaration that the statement is true, with personal responsibility accepted if a legal issue arises later. Notarised on Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper as our safe default
3. The original newspaper	The original paper, not a cutting; the paper's name and date of publication visible; the old and new names carried; the same spelling as the proforma; dated within the last year
4. Photographs and identity proof	Two self-attested passport photographs; identity and address proof matching the proforma address; both witnesses' proofs; and the marriage certificate or decree where one exists
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; the e-receipt

The proforma is where files are lost, and there are twelve to choose from. A misprint filed on the change of name form comes back, and so does a change filed on the public notice form. The Government charge already paid is not refunded, because BharatKosh payments are non-refundable. You then have six months to make good a shortcoming the Department points out, after which a fresh application with all new documents is required.

What to select on BharatKosh, field by field. Pay to the Department of Publication under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and 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. The codes printed for this office on different websites do not agree with each other, and money paid into the wrong head cannot be traced to your file. Read the amount on the portal on the day you pay, because it is revised each financial year.

How to read the published notice before you rely on it. Open the e-Gazette copy and check five things: that it says Part IV; the date of publication; the old name exactly as your documents carry it; the new name, letter by letter; and the father's or husband's name and address. Then note the page number and the issue number, because that is what an office will quote back to you.

The posting detail is on the sending the file to Delhi page, the wording on the proforma format page, the charge by category on the fee and undertaking page, and the download on the download page.

Cost and time

What a Surname Change Affidavit Costs in Jharkhand

Cost and time for a surname change affidavit and the routes beyond it
Item	Cost	Time
The affidavit itself	Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper plus the notary's charge and the typing. The cheapest paper in this entire subject	The same day, at any notary in your district
Attested copies	A small charge each, and worth taking several at the same sitting	Same visit
Where it is a marriage case	That is usually the whole cost of the paperwork, along with the office fees at Aadhaar, PAN and the bank. No gazette charge	A few weeks across the offices
Where it is counted as a name change	Add a gazette notification or two newspaper advertisements, plus two public or school documents already in the desired name. The Department's guidelines print Rs 1,100 for a change of name of an adult or major for the financial year 2016 to 2017, adding that it varies each financial year and from case to case	Part IV publishes weekly, so allow several weeks from posting
Newspaper	Paid to the paper, charged by length. Two advertisements for the passport route, one original paper for the gazette file	Same week
Our charge	Quoted on your papers before you pay anything, and confirmed in writing. We print no service price on any page of this site

Spend the ten minutes, not the thousand rupees. Most of what goes wrong with affidavits is wording, not money. Getting the right one of the three wordings, with the documents named and their numbers in it, costs nothing extra at the notary and is the difference between one visit and three. The whole cost picture across every stage is on the name change cost page.

Setting the record straight

Myths About Surname Change Affidavits

"One affidavit format fits every case"

It does not. A marriage case, a one and the same person declaration and a surname addition make three different statements, and a counter reads them differently. The renunciation clause in particular belongs in only one of the three.

"Adding a surname is smaller than changing a name"

The rules say the opposite. A surname addition is counted as a name change, needing a gazette or two newspapers plus two documents already in the desired name.

"An affidavit changes my name"

It does not change any record by itself. It is a sworn statement that offices rely on while they update their own databases, and each office still has to be visited.

"The Gazette needs two newspapers"

Two newspapers is a passport alternative to a gazette notification. The Department of Publication, when you publish, asks for one original newspaper. Two different routes, two different rules.

"A spelling fix needs an affidavit and a gazette"

A spelling correction which phonetically does not change the name is not treated as a name change at all. Take it to the issuing office instead.

"Higher value stamp paper is safer"

Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper is the safe default in Jharkhand. Paying more does not make the statement stronger, and paying less occasionally causes an argument.

"The notary can prepare it without me"

You sign in the presence of the notary, magistrate or consular officer. A pre-signed blank or a backdated affidavit is a problem waiting to surface, and you are personally responsible for what it says.

"I need a fresh affidavit for each office"

One correctly worded affidavit with attested copies serves the whole run of offices.

"After marriage I need a gazette as well"

For a change following marriage, remarriage or divorce, no further proof is needed. The certificate or decree does the work.

Plain meanings

Key Terms in a Surname Change Affidavit

Key terms used in a surname change affidavit
Term	What it means in practice
Affidavit	A sworn written statement, signed before a notary or magistrate, which you are personally responsible for
Deponent	The person swearing the affidavit. That is you, and your details head the document
Verification clause	The closing sentence that everything stated is true to the best of your knowledge and belief and that nothing has been concealed. Without it the paper is a letter
Renunciation clause	The sentence giving up the former name and promising to use the new one in all records, deeds and writings. Correct for a name change, wrong for a marriage case
One and the same person	The sentence that links two versions of a name to one individual. The working heart of a declaration affidavit
Non-judicial stamp paper	The stamped paper the affidavit is typed on. Rs 100 is the safe default in Jharkhand
Notary register number	The entry number and date the notary records against your affidavit. An office that doubts the paper checks this
Treated as a name change	The category that includes a surname addition, a revert to a maiden name without divorce, a change on attaining adulthood and a minor modification, and that needs more than an affidavit

Coverage

Affidavit Wording Help Across Jharkhand

The notary is in your own district. What we do is settle which of the three wordings is yours and send you the exact text to have typed, for every district in the state.

RanchiJamshedpurDhanbadBokaroHazaribaghDeogharGiridihDumkaRamgarhMedininagarChaibasaGumlaKhuntiSimdegaGarhwaSahibganj

District pages are linked from the services page.

Send your papers for the right wording

Photograph the documents carrying the two versions of the name, the marriage certificate if there is one, and your Aadhaar. Tell us which office is asking and what exactly it said. The first reply tells you which of the three wordings you need, the exact text to have typed on the stamp paper, whether an affidavit will finish the matter or whether your case is counted as a name change needing more, and the total before you pay anything. Where an affidavit alone will do it, we say so, because that is the cheapest answer in this whole subject. Details on the contact page.

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FAQ

Surname Change Affidavit: Frequently Asked Questions

What stamp paper value should a surname affidavit be on?+

Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper is our safe default across Jharkhand. Lower values are used in places and are often accepted, but a Rs 100 paper is never the reason a file comes back, and the difference is a few rupees against a wasted trip to a counter. Paying more than Rs 100 does not make the statement stronger.

Is one affidavit format enough for every situation?+

No, and this is the commonest mistake. There are three situations and three wordings. A marriage affidavit names both versions and ties them to one person, with the certificate attached. A one and the same person affidavit changes nothing and simply declares that two named documents belong to you. A surname addition affidavit renounces the former name and promises to use the new one in all records, deeds and writings. Agents who keep one template put the renunciation clause into all three, which is wrong in two of them.

Do I need a gazette as well after marriage?+

No. The passport service's own name change affidavit treats a change following marriage, remarriage or divorce as needing no further proof, and that logic is followed by most offices. The marriage certificate or the divorce decree does the work. Anybody quoting you a gazette package for a routine married surname change should be asked which rule requires it.

I am adding a surname that was never on any record. Is an affidavit enough?+

Usually not. The rules expressly count a surname addition as a name change, alongside reverting to a maiden name while not divorced or widowed, changing a name on attaining adulthood and a minor modification of the name. That means a gazette notification or clippings of two newspapers, plus at least two public or school documents already issued in the desired name. Plan the whole route before you pay the notary. The adding a surname page covers the cheaper school route.

Does the Gazette need two newspaper advertisements?+

No, and this confusion costs people money. Two newspapers is named in the passport route as an alternative to a gazette notification. The Department of Publication, when you actually publish a gazette notice, asks for one original newspaper carrying the advertisement. Two different routes with two different requirements, and anybody telling you the Gazette itself demands two papers has mixed them up.

What clause makes an affidavit actually work?+

The sentence that both names refer to one and the same person, namely you. Without it the affidavit proves nothing about the link between two records, which is the only thing a counter cares about. Close behind it are both versions of the name spelt exactly as each document carries them, and the documents named with their numbers.

Who can I swear it before in Jharkhand?+

The passport service's affidavit says it is to be signed in the presence of a Judicial Magistrate or Executive Magistrate, a Notary Public or a Consular Officer. For ordinary documentation work in Jharkhand you will use a notary, at the civil court or a notary's office in your district. Sign in person, and check that the notary's register number and date are legible before you leave.

Does my photograph have to be on the affidavit?+

Some institutional formats require it, with a passport size photograph of the deponent attested by the notary, the signature and stamp running partly across the photograph. Ask the office that will receive the affidavit before you go, because getting it done at the same sitting saves a second visit to the notary.

Will a spelling fix need an affidavit and a gazette?+

Not necessarily. The rules say a spelling correction which phonetically does not result in a change of the name is not treated as a name change at all, and neither is a variation that matches the birth record. That is a correction to be taken to the issuing office. The three-question router is on the name spelling correction page.

Do I need a separate affidavit for each office?+

No. One correctly worded affidavit, with several attested copies taken at the same sitting, serves the whole run of offices. That is why it is worth spending ten minutes on the wording rather than accepting whatever template is already open on the typist's screen.

Can the notary prepare and date it without me being there?+

You sign in the presence of the notary or magistrate, and you should not accept a pre-signed blank or a backdated paper. An affidavit is a sworn statement and the verification clause makes you personally responsible for what it says, so a shortcut there is a problem stored up for a verification years later.

Where does the affidavit fit in a gazette file?+

The Department of Publication's own document list for a notice begins with an undertaking duly signed by the applicant, carrying the same names and address as the proforma word for word. Our practice in Jharkhand is to put that undertaking on Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper with a notary, because the offices that later receive the gazette copy expect to see it in that form. The papers and the wording are on the proforma format page.

Who wrote and checked this page

Written and maintained by the Jharkhandnamechange.com documentation desk, led by founder Vipin Chauhan, B.Tech LL.B, with 5+ years filing with the Department of Publication. The rules quoted here, that a change following marriage, remarriage or divorce needs no further proof, that a surname addition, a revert to a maiden name while not divorced or widowed, a change on attaining adulthood and a minor modification are treated as a name change requiring a gazette notification or clippings of two newspapers plus at least two public or school documents already issued in the desired name, that a spelling correction which phonetically does not result in a change is not a name change, and that the affidavit is signed before a Judicial Magistrate or Executive Magistrate, Notary Public or Consular Officer, are taken from the name change affidavit published for Indian passport services, linked below. The clause structure, including the Aadhaar and PAN consistency clauses and the attested photograph of the deponent, follows the institutional draft formats also linked. The three wordings on this page are written in our own words, in the shape offices in Jharkhand accept, and are not reproductions of any official form. The gazette file requirements come from the Department of Publication's own guidelines. Stamp paper practice is described as our safe default rather than as a rule, because values in use vary. Who we are is on the about page.

Last reviewed 18 September 2026 • 9540005002 • info@jharkhandnamechange.com • Jharkhandnamechange.com is a private documentation consultancy and is not a notary, the Passport Seva, the Department of Publication, a law firm or any Government office. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Verify it yourself

Official Sources on Name Change Affidavits

Name change affidavit for Indian passport servicesWhere marriage, remarriage and divorce are treated as needing no further proof, and a surname addition is counted as a name change.
Passport application instruction bookletThe name rules, including that a surname may be two words and that initials must be expanded.
Department of Publication, guidelines for change of nameThe twelve categories, and the undertaking that heads the document list for a notice.
UIDAI list of supporting documentsWhere a Government-issued marriage certificate is accepted as proof of identity for a name update.
Institutional draft format for a change of name after marriageAn example of the clause structure institutions ask for, including the Aadhaar and PAN consistency clauses and the attested photograph.
Passport SevaThe current document requirements, which are worth checking before any application.

Quick Summary

The Surname Affidavit in Eight Lines

The short version

Three situations need three different wordings, not one template.
Marriage, remarriage and divorce need no further proof beyond the certificate.
A surname addition is counted as a name change and needs more.
That means a gazette or two newspapers, plus two documents in the new name.
A spelling fix that sounds the same is not a name change at all.
The working clause is that both names are one and the same person.
Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper, typed, signed before a notary in person.
One affidavit with attested copies serves every office on your list.

The cheapest paper in this subject, and the one most often worded wrongly.

Tell us which office is asking and send your documents, and we will send the exact wording to have typed.

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