Online & other › Name change or document correction
No birth certificate — need one now
What usually matters in this situation, and the papers to keep ready before you meet an advocate or free legal aid (call 15100).
Make my own list — free, 2 minutesYour situation
- Do you have a birth certificate? No birth certificate
Where you stand
- Next step Delayed birth registration is possible with an order and supporting proof.
Papers to gather
- Affidavit stating old and new name/detail, on stamp paper, notarised
First step for name change and most corrections. Where: Notary. - Your birth certificate or school leaving / 10th certificate
Other records are corrected to match it. Where: Municipal office; school; board. - All IDs showing the mismatch (Aadhaar, PAN, passport, certificates)
You will update each one. Where: DigiLocker. - Hospital birth record or other old evidence of birth
Needed for late registration or DOB correction. Where: Hospital; school admission register.
You may also need, depending on your answers
- Newspaper notice of the name change — Needed for gazette publication.
- Gazette notification of the new name — Accepted by passport, PAN and banks.
- Marriage certificate or divorce decree — Often enough for a surname change.
- Details of any pending criminal case and court permission — A court can allow a passport despite a pending case.
What the law says
Name change for adults is usually done by an affidavit, a newspaper notice and publication in the Gazette (Department of Publication for central, or the state gazette). Birth records are corrected by the Registrar under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969; since 1 October 2023, a birth certificate is the single document to prove date of birth for births after that date, and delayed registration needs an order. Aadhaar allows name and date-of-birth changes only a limited number of times. A pending criminal case can lead to passport refusal, but a court can permit one.
General information, not legal advice.
Saboot will also ask
- What do you need to change?
- Is this for a child under 18?
Similar situations
- Change my name after marriage
- Wrong date of birth in my certificates
- Spelling mistake in my name in Aadhaar or PAN
- Passport application stuck or rejected
- Father’s name wrong in my documents
- Child’s name or details wrong in school records
Sources
- e-Gazette of India (name change notifications)
- Civil Registration System — births and deaths
- UIDAI — Aadhaar update
- Passport Seva
The full guide: Name change, or correcting date of birth / name in birth certificate, Aadhaar, passport or certificates · All situations