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English
Gujarati ગુજરાતી
Filling in the blanks is the easy half. It still has to be executed on stamp paper of the value currently prescribed, signed by the right people in the right order, and — depending on the document — sworn before a Notary or registered with the Sub-Registrar. A correctly worded document on the wrong stamp, or signed by the wrong person, fails just as completely as a badly worded one.
Bring it in and we will check it, e-stamp it and notarise it in the same visit. If it is wrong for what you actually need, we will tell you before you pay for anything.
The gazette route is three steps, not one
A gazette entry is a permanent, publicly searchable government record of the change, which is why many universities, employers and banks ask for one and why it is easy to produce again years later. It is not required for a passport — the Ministry of External Affairs asks for a deed poll or sworn affidavit plus two newspaper advertisements, and no gazette entry. Ask the authority what they actually require before you pay for this. Where it is required, it runs in a fixed order and each step feeds the next:
- The affidavit — sworn before a notary, stating the old name, the new name, and the reason.
- Newspaper publication — the change advertised in two newspapers, conventionally one English and one Gujarati. Keep the original newspapers rather than photocopies; several authorities ask to see them.
- Gazette notification — the application, with the affidavit and the newspaper cuttings, submitted for publication in the Gujarat Government Gazette. The published gazette copy is what you then produce everywhere else.
The single largest cause of a returned application is a mismatch between the affidavit, the newspaper advertisement and the gazette form — a middle name present in one and absent in another, a different spelling of the father's name, a different address. Fill the affidavit first, then copy from it into everything else rather than retyping. If a spelling is wrong on the affidavit, correct the affidavit before the advertisement is placed, not after.
Before you swear it
Decide the new name in its full and final form, including how the surname and any middle name are written, and check it against how you will want it printed on a passport. A gazette entry can be superseded by another gazette entry, but that means starting the whole process again and paying for it twice.
What to bring when you come in
- Aadhaar and PAN
- Birth certificate or school leaving certificate showing the old name
- Marriage certificate, where the change follows marriage
- Two recent passport photographs
- The exact new name written out, in both English and Gujarati, as you want it printed
Related
Gazette affidavit — full page
View →Format: simple change of name affidavit
View →All affidavit types
View →These formats and checklists are published free as general information about how documents of this kind usually work in Gujarat. They have not been drafted for your facts, and both the law and departmental practice change. Nothing here creates a lawyer–client relationship, and you should not act on it alone where money, property or a deadline is at stake — take advice on your own situation. If we have got something wrong, tell us and we will correct it: 94267 80195.