How to Change Name Legally in Chandigarh (2026)

The process

The 3-Step Name Change Process in Chandigarh

Every legal name change in India, Chandigarh included, runs through the same three stages. Doing one or two of them does not finish the job.

Notarised affidavit

Declare your old name, new name, father's or husband's name, address and reason, on non-judicial stamp paper, signed before a notary public.

Newspaper publication

Publish the notice in one paper, not two. Chandigarh route: a national paper in English or Hindi. Central route: a daily local leading paper. Keep the complete original printed page, not a photo.

Gazette notification

Chandigarh route: form, self-signed Declaration, the original newspaper, residence proof, photo, old-name proof and Rs 50. Central route: undertaking, original newspaper, proforma in duplicate, CD, photos, ID and the BharatKosh receipt. Once published, this is your permanent legal proof.

Step 1: Make and notarise the affidavit

You swear an affidavit on non-judicial stamp paper stating your old name, new name, father's or husband's name, address, and the reason for the change. It is signed before a Notary Public. In Chandigarh you can notarise it at the District Court complex in Sector 43 or through any registered notary, and buy stamp paper through authorised vendors. Fix the exact spelling of your new name now, because it is copied into everything that follows.

Step 2: Publish the change in a newspaper, one, not two

Both routes require one advertisement, worded slightly differently. The Department of Publication says the change "should be advertised in one of the daily local leading newspapers stating therein Father's/Husband's name along with residential address". Chandigarh's own instruction asks for a "National newspaper (Original) containing the advertisement for change of name of applicant in English/Hindi". The notice itself carries your old name, new name, father's or husband's name and address.

Two conditions that matter on the Chandigarh route. It wants a national newspaper, not merely a local one, and the advertisement must be in English or Hindi. That means Ajit and the Punjabi Tribune, being Punjabi-language papers, may not satisfy it, a detail no other page mentions. Common English choices are The Tribune, The Times of India and Hindustan Times; for Hindi, Dainik Bhaskar, Punjab Kesari and Amar Ujala. But treat any list as editorial guidance: no government body approves or empanels newspapers for a private name-change notice on either route. The Central Bureau of Communication does empanel Chandigarh papers, but that is for government advertising, not your legal notice.

So why does every other page say two? Because Passport Seva's annexure accepts "clippings of two local news papers or the Gazette notification", and agents have merged the passport list into the gazette list. Run one if the gazette is your goal; run two only if a passport re-issue is next. And on both routes submit the complete original newspaper, not a cutting, not a phone photo, not a scan.

Step 3: File for the gazette notification

What you submit depends on the route. For Chandigarh: the application form, your self-signed Declaration, the original national newspaper, Chandigarh residence proof, a passport photo, proof of your old name and Rs 50, no affidavit. For the Central route: an undertaking, the original newspaper, the proforma in duplicate, a CD in MS Word, two photos, ID proof, a similarity certificate and the BharatKosh receipt. Historically this page described only the second. You submit the affidavit, the newspaper, ID and address proof, a passport-size photo, a signed declaration and a soft copy, along with the government fee. For the local route the file goes to the Department of Printing and Stationery, Chandigarh Administration. For the Central route it goes to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi-110054, and your notice is printed in Part IV of the Gazette of India. Once published, the gazette notification is your permanent legal proof.

Order matters: the affidavit always comes first. The newspaper ad and the gazette proforma both copy their details from it, so fix the exact spelling before you sign.

How to Change or Correct Your Name in Chandigarh

A full walkthrough of the name change and correction process in Chandigarh, including the gazette office.

The big question

Chandigarh Administration Gazette vs Central Gazette: Which Should You Use?

Both are legally valid. The right choice depends on where you need the name recognised. As a Union Territory, Chandigarh has its own Administration gazette.

How to change name legally in Chandigarh

Point	Chandigarh Administration Gazette	Central Gazette of India
Run by	Department of Printing & Stationery, Chandigarh Administration	Department of Publication, Delhi
Published in	Chandigarh Administration Gazette	Part IV, Gazette of India
Valid for	Within the Union Territory	All of India and abroad
Fee	Rs 50, per the Administration's own form	Rs 1,100 adult, Rs 1,700 minor
Affidavit needed?	No. A self-signed Declaration, no notary, no stamp paper	Yes in practice, plus a signed undertaking
Newspapers	One national paper, in English or Hindi, original	One daily local leading paper, original
Who can apply	Chandigarh residents, residence proof required	Any Indian. No state or domicile condition at all
Where you file	Controller, Printing & Stationery Dept, U.T., Chandigarh, in person	Civil Lines, Delhi-110054, personally or by post
Official forms published?	Yes, a form and an instructions sheet, both free	Yes, guideline PDFs per category
Download	Chandigarh Administration e-Gazette (egazette.chd.gov.in)	egazette.gov.in
Best for	Local UT records, often cheaper	Passport, PAN, Aadhaar, banks, embassies

Use the Central Gazette if

You need the change for a passport, visa or embassy; you are updating PAN or Aadhaar and want the most trusted proof; your employer runs strict background verification; you work in, or plan to apply for, a central government job; or your records will travel outside Chandigarh, including to Punjab or Haryana. The Central Gazette is accepted everywhere without question, which is why it is the safest pick for anything that leaves the Union Territory.

Use the Chandigarh Administration Gazette if

We rewrote this section, and it is worth saying why. This page used to describe the Chandigarh route vaguely as "often cheaper" and leave it there. Having read the Administration's own form and instructions, that undersold it badly. The Chandigarh route costs Rs 50, needs no affidavit, no notary and no stamp paper, and the government publishes the forms free. For a Chandigarh resident whose records are staying in the UT, local employment, a UT service record, a local bank, a Chandigarh school, it is the obviously better route, and roughly a thirtieth of the cost. Here is exactly what it involves.

Choose the Central Gazette instead when the change has to travel: a passport or visa, an embassy, a central government post, a CBSE certificate change, or an employer running strict background verification. And note that nothing stops you doing the Chandigarh route first and adding the Central one later if a specific authority insists, but almost nobody needs both by default, whatever a service agent tells you.

One clarification: a gazette publication is compulsory for central government employees. For everyone else it is a strong recommendation for wide acceptance, not a legal compulsion.

How to Publish the Gazette Notification in Chandigarh

How to publish the gazette notification for your Chandigarh name change, whether the Administration route or the Central route.

A common search

Where Is the Gazette Office in Chandigarh?

Many people search for the gazette office in Chandigarh. Here is the accurate picture, because it differs from a plain city.

For the local route, the Chandigarh Administration Gazette is published by the Department of Printing and Stationery, Chandigarh Administration, so a Union Territory resident has a local gazette authority. If you use the Central Gazette, your file goes to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi-110054, published in Part IV and downloadable from egazette.gov.in.

Gazette Office in Chandigarh: Address & Details

A video guide to the Gazette office in Chandigarh, including its address and how the process works.

Correcting a common error: the 110054 pincode belongs to Delhi, and the Controller of Publications for the Central Gazette sits in Delhi, not Chandigarh. There is no Central Gazette counter in Chandigarh, so do not travel looking for one.

The route nobody publishes

Chandigarh Runs Its Own Gazette, It Costs Rs 50, and It Needs No Affidavit

This is the most useful thing on this page, and we could not find it stated correctly anywhere else. The Chandigarh Administration publishes a change-of-name notification for its own residents, on its own downloadable form, for a fraction of the Delhi fee.

Quick Answer

If you can prove residence in Chandigarh, you can apply directly to The Controller, Printing and Stationery Department, U.T., Chandigarh to have your change of name published in the Chandigarh e-Gazette. The fee recorded on the official form is Rs 50. You need no affidavit, no notary, no oath commissioner and no stamp paper, only a self-signed Declaration on the Administration's own form, plus one original national newspaper carrying the advertisement in English or Hindi. Both PDFs are free, and we link them below.

What the Administration actually asks for

Its instructions document lists eight items. This is the full list, in the Administration's own words:

#	What the instructions say	What that means in practice
1	"Application Form for Change of Name."	Page 2 of the official PDF, addressed to the Controller
2	"Declaration Form by applicant."	Page 3 of the same PDF. You sign it yourself, it is not sworn before anyone
3	"National newspaper (Original) containing the advertisement for change of name of applicant in English/Hindi."	One paper, national, in English or Hindi, and the original, not a cutting or a photocopy
4	"Copy of current Proof of Residence in Chandigarh of applicant (Self attested)."	This route is for Chandigarh residents only. The declaration text itself hard-codes "R/o ______ Chandigarh"
5	"Current passport size photograph of applicant."	None
6	"Any proof of old name of applicant (Self attested)."	Aadhaar, PAN, passport, school certificate, self-attested, not notarised
7	"In case of change of name of minor child, document showing age proof of the child, an advertisement from parent(s), passport size photographs of child and joint photograph of parent(s) and child."	Note the joint photograph of parent and child, an unusual requirement people miss
8	"In case of change of name of Divorcee, copy of orders (Self attested) of the competent Court regarding divorce is required."	The divorce decree, self-attested

Read item 2 again, because it is the money-saver. The words "notary", "affidavit", "stamp paper" and "attested by" do not appear anywhere on the Chandigarh form. What it asks for is a Declaration you sign yourself, ending with an acknowledgement that a false statement makes you liable to prosecution. That single difference is why the Chandigarh route costs Rs 50 and the Delhi route costs upwards of Rs 1,700 once you have paid a notary.

Who to call, and when, straight off the government portal

The Chandigarh e-Gazette portal carries a dedicated "Change of Name" block at the foot of its home page, with its own helpline separate from the portal's technical numbers. We checked it directly. Here is what it publishes:

For	Contact
Change of name, the line you want	0172-2700294 and 9915030009
Hours	10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, working days only, the Administration's own wording is "Between 10:00 AM to 04:00 PM, Only any working days"
Portal and technical queries	0172-2700213, 0172-2700208
Where the forms are	The same block links "Instructions for Change of Name Notification" and "Download Application form for Change of Name"

That mobile number is the practical one. A published mobile line, staffed 10 to 4 on working days, for change-of-name queries specifically, is unusually accessible for an Indian gazette office. Call it before you go and confirm the fee, the payment mode and which counter takes the file, those are the three things the printed form does not tell you.

One newspaper rule that will catch Punjabi speakers out

The Chandigarh instruction says the advertisement must be in English or Hindi, in a national newspaper. Ajit is a Punjabi-language daily. If you advertise only in Ajit, you may not satisfy the Administration's stated language condition. Pages that list "The Tribune, Hindustan Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Ajit, Amar Ujala" as interchangeable options for the Chandigarh gazette are giving advice that conflicts with the official instruction. Book the advertisement in English or Hindi, and keep the whole paper.

And no newspaper is "government-approved" for this. Neither the Chandigarh instructions nor any Department of Publication guideline names a single title or refers to an approved list. The Central Bureau of Communication does empanel Chandigarh newspapers, but that empanelment is for government advertising and has nothing to do with a private citizen's legal notice. Any list you see is editorial guidance, not a legal requirement.

Can you do it online? No, and here is exactly why

The portal at egazette.chd.gov.in has been running since 1 October 2019, and it is genuinely useful, you can search notifications across more than seventy Chandigarh departments by department, category, notification number or gazette number, and download published PDFs free. But its only login is labelled "Login for User Department". There is no citizen registration, no citizen login and no online application module. The change-of-name block gives you the forms and a phone number, not a submission button.

The change-of-name form and instructions are not linked from the portal's own navigation. They sit as static PDFs at direct URLs, which is almost certainly why this route is invisible to the entire commercial market. We have linked both in the downloads section. Download them, print them, and submit the physical set to the Controller, Printing and Stationery Department, U.T., Chandigarh.

A drafting curiosity worth knowing about

The Declaration on the official form still ends by citing Sections 177 and 191 of the Indian Penal Code. The IPC was replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in force from 1 July 2024. The Chandigarh form has not been updated. This does not invalidate anything, sign the form as printed, but it does tell you how long it has been since anyone revised it, and it is a useful reminder to confirm the fee and the submission counter when you go.

Sources for this section: UT Chandigarh Digital Gazette portal · Official change-of-name form (PDF) · Official instructions (PDF) · Chandigarh Administration, Printing & Stationery. Verified 27 August 2026.

The mix-up that costs people money

Punjab, Haryana or Chandigarh? The Rs 160 Trap

Chandigarh is the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana, which means three different Printing and Stationery departments have a Chandigarh address. Confusing them is the commonest error on pages about this topic.

Quick Answer

If you are a Chandigarh resident and not a Punjab government servant, Punjab's route is closed to you. Punjab's published service list carries exactly one name-related service, "Gazette notification for change of name of Government servant", at Rs 160, for government servants only, routed through their parent department. That department is physically located in Chandigarh because Chandigarh is Punjab's capital, and that is why its Rs 160 fee keeps appearing on the internet mislabelled as "the Chandigarh gazette fee". It is not.

Which department	Who it serves	Fee	Open to a Chandigarh resident?
Controller, Printing & Stationery Department, U.T., Chandigarh	Chandigarh residents, any citizen	Rs 50	Yes, with Chandigarh residence proof
Controller, Printing & Stationery Department, Punjab (offices in Chandigarh)	Punjab government servants only	Rs 160	No, unless you are a Punjab government servant
Printing & Stationery Department, Haryana (egazetteharyana.gov.in)	Unverified	Unverified	We could not reach the Haryana pages to check, see the honest note below
Department of Publication, Delhi	Any Indian, no state condition at all	Rs 1,100 adult	Yes

On Haryana, we are going to leave a blank rather than fill it. Haryana does run a state gazette portal at egazetteharyana.gov.in, and a document titled "Service: Change of Name" exists on the Haryana Printing and Stationery site. We could not retrieve either, the Haryana hosts were unreachable when we checked. So we are publishing no Haryana fee, no Haryana eligibility rule and no statement about whether Haryana residence is required. This is exactly the sort of gap that gets filled with an invented number, and we would rather tell you it is a gap.

The structural point that resolves it. The Chandigarh route requires proof of residence in Chandigarh. That is deliberate: it is a route for the Administration's own residents, which is why a Punjab or Haryana resident cannot use it, and equally why a Chandigarh resident cannot manufacture Haryana residence to use Haryana's. If you live in Chandigarh, your two real options are the Chandigarh e-Gazette at Rs 50 and the Gazette of India at Rs 1,100. Nothing else is open to you.

Source: Government of Punjab, services provided by the Printing & Stationery Department (PDF)

Fact check

What Other Websites Get Wrong About Name Change in Chandigarh

Many name change pages copy each other, and the same errors travel from site to site. Here is what they say, against the verified position, so your file is not built on a myth.

What many websites say	The verified fact
"Chandigarh residents must use the Punjab or Haryana gazette"	No. Chandigarh is a Union Territory with its own Administration gazette, run by the Department of Printing and Stationery, with the e-Gazette at egazette.chd.gov.in. It is only for Chandigarh UT addresses, and Punjab or Haryana addresses cannot use it either.
"Send your Central Gazette file to Civil Lines, Chandigarh-110054"	No such office exists. 110054 is a Delhi PIN code. The only Central Gazette office is the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi-110054.
"Pay the gazette fee by demand draft or cash"	The Department stopped demand drafts and cash long ago. Payment is online through BharatKosh (NTRP) only, and the fee is non-refundable.
"Your printed gazette copy will arrive by post"	Printed copies stopped from 1 October 2015. You download the PDF yourself from egazette.gov.in (Part IV, published every Saturday), and it needs no certification or stamp.
"The fee is just Rs 1,100, nothing more"	Rs 1,100 is the Central adult fee in India. A minor is Rs 1,700; from abroad it is Rs 3,500 adult and Rs 5,100 minor. A public notice or name-and-gender notice is Rs 1,400, and a change of religion Rs 1,700. And if you live in Chandigarh, the local route is Rs 50. Full table with sources.
"Each extra alias name costs Rs 250"	There is no per-alias fee. No Department of Publication guideline mentions an alias or additional-name charge anywhere. The Rs 250 is the add-on for adopting a name associated with another religion without converting, making Rs 1,350 in total. This error was on our own page until this update, and we have corrected it.
"A Chandigarh name change costs Rs 160", or "the gazette office in Chandigarh charges Rs 160"	That is Punjab's fee, for Punjab government servants only, from a Punjab department that happens to sit in Chandigarh because Chandigarh is Punjab's capital. It is not open to an ordinary Chandigarh resident and it is not the Chandigarh fee. The Chandigarh UT fee recorded on the Administration's own form is Rs 50. The full mix-up explained.
"You need a notarised affidavit on stamp paper to change your name in Chandigarh"	Not for the Chandigarh route. The Administration's form asks for a self-signed Declaration, the words "notary", "affidavit" and "stamp paper" appear nowhere on it. An affidavit is only practically needed if you take the Central route. See what is actually required.
"Two newspaper advertisements are required, one English and one Hindi or Punjabi"	One, on both routes. The Central guidelines say "advertised in one of the daily local leading newspapers". Chandigarh asks for "National newspaper (Original) ... in English/Hindi", also one. The two-newspaper habit comes from the passport annexure, not from any gazette. Full explanation.
"Advertise in Ajit, Dainik Bhaskar, The Tribune, any of them works"	Not for the Chandigarh gazette. Its instruction specifies English or Hindi. Ajit is a Punjabi-language daily, so an Ajit-only advertisement may not satisfy the condition. And no newspaper is government-approved for this in any case, the only test is qualitative.
"A gazette notification is needed to fix a spelling error on a CBSE certificate"	No. CBSE treats a spelling correction and a change of name as different things. A correction needs school records only, the admission form, the previous school's leaving certificate and the admission-and-withdrawal register page. A genuine change of name is the one where CBSE requires the gazette. The distinction, and the Supreme Court case behind it.
"Name change is an e-Sampark service in Chandigarh"	It is not. e-Sampark handles utility bills, property tax, certificates (caste, income, residence, legal heir, solvency), passport applications, e-stamp paper, tenant and servant registration, and the issue of birth and death certificates. *Name change, gazette notification, affidavit attestation and birth-certificate correction* are all absent from it.**
"Any old affidavit and newspaper ad will work"	The Department of Publication does not accept documents older than one year, and documents once submitted are not returned.
"Fix your birth certificate spelling through the gazette"	A birth certificate correction is a Registrar matter under Section 14 or Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, through Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, not the gazette. Section 14 adds a name never entered; Section 15 corrects a wrong one, by a marginal entry that never alters the original. The full distinction.

Why this matters: a wrong address, a stale document or a short payment does not just delay your file, it can mean paying the non-refundable fee again. Every fact in this table follows the Department of Publication's own guidelines and the official portals in our sources section.

Checklist

Full Document Checklist for a Chandigarh Name Change

Have these ready before you apply. A missing or mismatched paper is the top cause of delay.

Document	Needed?	Notes
Notarised name-change affidavit	Yes	Old name, new name, reason, father's/husband's name, address
Original newspaper cuttings	Yes	One English, one Hindi or Punjabi, full printed pages
Identity proof	Yes	Aadhaar, PAN, passport or voter ID
Address proof	Yes	Aadhaar, voter ID, electricity/water bill or rent agreement
Two passport-size photos	Yes	Recent
Name-change proforma / form	Yes	Prescribed format
Signed matching declaration	Yes	Hard copy and soft copy match
Soft copy (CD or pen drive)	Yes	Notification text as required
Government fee receipt	Yes	BharatKosh challan for the Central route
Marriage certificate	For marriage	Surname change after marriage
Divorce decree	For divorce	Restoring your maiden name
Parents' ID + child's birth certificate	For minors	Guardian applies and signs
Embassy-attested deed	For NRIs from Chandigarh	Attested by the Indian Embassy or High Commission
Deed + departmental route	For government employees	Under the MHA Office Memorandum

Documents Required for Name Change in Chandigarh

A video checklist of every document you need for a Chandigarh name change, so nothing is missed.

Saves a rejection: your old and new name must be spelled and formatted identically across the affidavit, both newspaper ads and your ID. One extra initial or a swapped middle name is enough to bounce the file.

A common question

Is the Name Change Process in Chandigarh Fully Online?

No, on either route. But the offline steps are different for each, and one of them is much lighter than people expect.

Quick Answer

Neither route is fully online. On the Chandigarh route you download two PDFs, book one newspaper advertisement, sign a Declaration yourself, no notary visit at all, and hand the physical set in to the Controller, Printing and Stationery Department. On the Central route only the fee is online, through BharatKosh; the physical file with the original newspaper and a CD has to reach Civil Lines in Delhi, personally or by post. Both published gazettes are then free to download.

Step	Chandigarh route	Central route
Get the forms	Online, free PDFs	Online, free guideline PDFs
Affidavit / notary	Not required at all, you sign a Declaration	In person before a notary
Newspaper advertisement	Bookable remotely, but collect the original national paper (English or Hindi)	Bookable remotely, but collect the complete original paper
Fee payment	At the department. The form does not state the mode, ask when you submit	Online via BharatKosh, mandatory since 1 October 2018
Submitting the file	In person, locally	Personally or by post to Delhi. Courier is accepted in practice, though the guidelines say "personally or by post"
Applying through a portal	No citizen login exists, the only login is "Login for User Department"	No portal. "Application either submitted personally or sent by Post/ Courier only will be entertained"
Downloading the published gazette	Free at egazette.chd.gov.in	Free at egazette.gov.in, Part IV

So "100 percent online" overstates it on both routes, but the Chandigarh route has no notary step at all, which is the part most people dread and the part that costs the most. That is the genuine convenience story here, and it is not the one the market tells.

One picture

Both Chandigarh Routes, Side by Side

Every figure below comes from a government source, and the whole point of the picture is the left-hand column, the route most Chandigarh readers are never told about.

Name change in Chandigarh infographic: the Chandigarh e-Gazette route at Rs 50 with no affidavit, notary or stamp paper, against the Gazette of India Part IV at Rs 1,100 for an adult. Also shows the Rs 160 Punjab trap, the eight-item Chandigarh checklist, and the change-of-name helpline 0172-2700294. — Infographic comparing the two name-change routes open to a Chandigarh resident. The Chandigarh e-Gazette, published by the Printing and Stationery Department of the Union Territory, charges Rs 50 and requires no affidavit, notary or stamp paper, only a self-signed Declaration, one original national newspaper advertisement in English or Hindi, and proof of residence in Chandigarh. The Gazette of India Part IV, filed by post to Civil Lines in Delhi, charges Rs 1,100 for an adult, Rs 1,700 for a minor, and Rs 3,500 and Rs 5,100 respectively from abroad, and does require a notarised affidavit. The graphic also explains the Rs 160 Punjab fee that is frequently mislabelled as Chandigarh's, lists the Administration's eight-item checklist verbatim, and gives the published change-of-name helpline, 0172-2700294 and 9915030009, staffed 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on working days.

Real, verified costs

Real Cost of Name Change in Chandigarh, Route by Route

Costs vary with your newspaper choice and whether you do it yourself or hire help. Here are realistic ranges.

Item	Charge	Effective range / note	Source
Chandigarh e-Gazette (UT route)	Rs 50	The amount recorded on the Administration's own application form	Official form
Affidavit, notary or stamp paper for the Chandigarh route	Rs 0, none needed	The Chandigarh process asks for a self-signed Declaration, not an affidavit	Official instructions
Central Gazette, adult, in India	Rs 1,100	w.e.f. 01/04/2016 to 31/03/2017	Adult guidelines
Central Gazette, adult, living abroad	Rs 3,500	w.e.f. 01/04/2016 to 31/03/2017	Adult guidelines
Central Gazette, minor, in India	Rs 1,700	01.04.2016 to 31.03.2017	Minor guidelines
Central Gazette, minor, living abroad	Rs 5,100	01.04.2016 to 31.03.2017	Minor guidelines
Public notice, and change of name and gender	Rs 1,400	2016–17; the guideline itself says it "varies each financial year"	Name & Gender guidelines
Change of religion	Rs 1,700	w.e.f. 01.04.2016 to 31.03.2017	Religion guidelines
Adopting a name of another religion without converting	Rs 1,100 + Rs 250 = Rs 1,350	printed as "[till date]"	Adult guidelines
Notarised affidavit, if you use the Central route	Rs 100 to Rs 1,000, plus stamp paper	None	Notary Public. Note the Central checklist asks for an undertaking, not an affidavit
Newspaper advertisement	Rs 500 to Rs 3,500	None	One is required on both routes, not two, see below
Post or courier of the file	Rs 100 to Rs 300	None	Only if you use the Central route. The Chandigarh route is a local submission
Self-done total, Chandigarh route	About Rs 550 to Rs 3,550	Rs 50 gazette fee plus one newspaper advertisement. No affidavit, no notary, no stamp paper
Self-done total, Central route	About Rs 1,700 to Rs 5,900	Rs 1,100 gazette fee, affidavit and notary, one advertisement, and postage to Delhi

Two honest notes: newspaper cost is the biggest variable, and the Central Gazette fee is non-refundable even if the file is rejected. That is exactly why matching your documents correctly the first time matters so much. Pay the Central fee only through BharatKosh and keep the receipt.

Look at those two totals again, because this is the single most useful thing on this page. A Chandigarh resident who only needs the change recognised locally can do this for roughly Rs 50 plus one newspaper advertisement, with no affidavit, no notary and no stamp paper. Every commercial page we found pushes Chandigarh readers straight to the Rs 1,100 Delhi route without mentioning that the Administration runs its own, far cheaper, process for its own residents. We have linked the actual government forms in the downloads section so you can check this yourself.

The caveat on the Central figures. Every fee the Department of Publication publishes is printed as valid "w.e.f. 01/04/2016 to 31/03/2017", a window that closed over nine years ago, and its own name-and-gender guideline adds that the charge "varies each financial year". Treat these as the last formally notified rates and pay whatever the BharatKosh screen shows you. Any site quoting a confident "2026 fee" is quoting a nine-year-old PDF without telling you.

Correcting ourselves: there is no per-alias fee. This page previously said each extra alias costs Rs 250. That was wrong, and the error is common across this whole niche. No Department of Publication guideline mentions an alias or per-additional-name charge anywhere. The Rs 250 is the add-on for adopting a name associated with another religion without converting, making Rs 1,350 in total, and it comes with an undertaking that you are not changing your religion.

And one on the Rs 50 itself. We are describing it accurately: Rs 50 is the amount recorded on the Chandigarh Administration's own application form, in the office endorsement block the department completes on receipt. We searched for a separately published Chandigarh fee notification and could not find one, so we are not calling Rs 50 "the notified fee". The form also does not state whether payment is by cash, challan or demand draft, ask when you submit.

Timeline

How Long Does a Name Change Take in Chandigarh?

Plan for about 3 to 6 weeks end to end. The affidavit and notarisation take a day, the newspaper publication takes a few days to a week, and the gazette processing is the longest stage.

The Central Gazette commonly takes 30 to 45 days, while the Chandigarh Administration Gazette timeline depends on the Administration's schedule. Updating your individual documents afterward, such as Aadhaar, PAN and passport, is a separate timeline on top of this. There is no official fast-track, so anyone promising a "3-day gazette" is not being straight with you.

Next step

After the Gazette: Updating Aadhaar, PAN, Passport & School Records in Order

Getting the Gazette is the milestone, not the finish line. Order matters, because some documents lean on others.

Order	Document	How to update
1	Aadhaar	Update at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra with the gazette; it is the base ID others reference
2	PAN	Correct the name with your updated Aadhaar and the gazette copy
3	Passport	Re-issue at the Passport Seva Kendra with the Central Gazette
4	Bank & KYC	Update once your core IDs reflect the new name
5	Voter ID, licence, ration card	Submit the respective correction forms
6	School (CBSE), Panjab University	Follow the board or university correction process with the gazette
7	Employer, PF, insurance, property	Update as needed with the gazette

For each update you usually submit copies of the affidavit, the newspaper ad and the gazette notification together. Keep several printouts, because every office wants its own copy.

How to Change Name in Aadhaar Card in Chandigarh

Aadhaar is the first record to update after your gazette is published. This video shows the Aadhaar name change process for Chandigarh residents.

How to Change Name in PAN Card in Chandigarh

After Aadhaar, PAN is the next record to update. This video shows the PAN card name change process for Chandigarh residents.

How to Change Name in Driving Licence in Chandigarh

How to update your name on a driving licence in Chandigarh using the gazette notification.

Get this right

Birth Certificate Spelling Mistake? Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, Not the Gazette

Here is a point most Chandigarh name-change pages get wrong: they push a gazette notification to fix a spelling mistake in a birth certificate. That is the wrong route.

A clerical or spelling error in a birth certificate, a wrong letter or a registrar's typo, is corrected by the Registrar of Births and Deaths under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, through the local body, which in the city is the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh. It is not a gazette job. The gazette route is for an actual change of name, adopting a genuinely different name.

Section 14 or Section 15? They are not the same application

	Section 14, adding a name	Section 15, correcting an entry
When it applies	The birth was registered with no name at all, the common situation where a birth is registered days after delivery, before the family has chosen a name	A name is recorded but is "erroneous in form or substance, or has been fraudulently or improperly made"
What it is	A first entry, not a change. The Registrar enters the name and initials and dates it	A correction of a mistake
How the record changes	The name is written into the register	By a marginal entry only, "without any alteration of the original entry", signed and dated by the Registrar
Time limit	"within the prescribed period", the period is set by rules, not by the Act, so the Chandigarh rules govern it	Not fixed in the Act

Two things almost every page gets wrong here. First, Section 14 is not a correction provision, it only reaches records that were registered without any name, and it is not a "name change" at all. Second, a Section 15 correction is made in the margin: the statute says "by suitable entry in the margin, without any alteration of the original entry". Pages promising you "a fresh clean birth certificate with the new name" are describing something the Act does not authorise. The original entry stays.

And the limit that sends you back to the gazette. Neither section lets an adult adopt a different name by choice. Section 15 reaches records that were wrong when made. If you were registered correctly and now simply wish to be called something else, that is a gazette matter and the birth record stays as it is.

Chandigarh's own rules, and a 2025 change worth knowing

Chandigarh has its own subordinate legislation: the Chandigarh Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 2000, amended by the Chandigarh Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Rules, 2025, notification no. F-27/41/E-423278/F-II(6)/2025/1595 dated 20 March 2025. Two changes matter for names:

Names must be recorded as "(first name) (middle name) (last name)" with no abbreviations, and dates in dd-mm-yyyy format. If you have always used an initial, expect to have to expand it.
For domiciliary births and deaths reported directly to the Registrar, authorised persons may obtain certificates "electronically or otherwise" within thirty days of reporting.

We are flagging the source honestly. We could not retrieve that 2025 notification from a Chandigarh Administration URL, the rule numbers and wording above come from a regulatory-tracking service, not from the gazette itself. Treat the "no abbreviations" formatting rule as reportable, not as quoted statutory text, and confirm it at the counter.

Where you actually go

Birth and death certificates in Chandigarh are issued under Municipal Corporation Chandigarh and handed over the counter at Sampark centres, the Administration's own wording is that "Citizen can get birth & death certificate issued from all the sampark centre across city."

But note the gap, because it decides where you queue. e-Sampark offers the issue of a birth certificate, not its correction. Correction is not on the published Sampark service list at all. We also could not verify the correction application form, the correcting officer's designation, the correction fee or the time limits that apply in Chandigarh, MC Chandigarh's forms page was not retrievable when we checked. Rather than invent a procedure, we will say plainly: go to Municipal Corporation Chandigarh and ask for the Section 14 or Section 15 application, whichever your situation is, and take documentary proof of the correct spelling with you.

Sources: Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (India Code) · e-Sampark, Municipal Corporation services · MC Chandigarh, birth and death forms

Use the right channel: if a service pushes a gazette for a simple birth-certificate typo, that is a sign to ask more questions. You may be paying for a gazette you never needed.

School certificates

CBSE Certificates: When You Need a Gazette, and When You Definitely Do Not

Chandigarh's schools are overwhelmingly CBSE, so this is the question that decides whether most readers here need a gazette at all. CBSE draws a hard line, and knowing which side you are on saves either a lot of money or a rejected application.

Quick Answer

CBSE treats a correction and a change as two different things. For a spelling or factual error in your name, you need no gazette at all, only school records, attested by the Head of Institution. For a genuine change of name, CBSE's rules require the change to have been "admitted by the Court of law and notified in the Government Gazette before the publication of the result". That timing condition is the part that catches people out.

	Correction (spelling or factual error)	Change of name
Gazette needed?	No	Yes, and CBSE is entitled to insist on it
What you file	A true copy of the admission form filled in by your parents; the previous school's leaving certificate; a true copy of the admission-and-withdrawal register page. All attested by the Head of Institution	Gazette notification, plus the school records
Who applies	The Head of Institution forwards it. A candidate cannot apply directly to CBSE
Time limit	The 2015 rules say within one year of the declaration of result, and for date of birth add: "No correction whatsoever shall be made on application submitted after the said period." See the Supreme Court note below

The Supreme Court case that changed this, and the part that did not change

In Jigya Yadav (Minor) through Guardian/Father Hari Singh v. CBSE, decided on 3 June 2021 by a three-judge bench (Khanwilkar, Gavai and Krishna Murari JJ), the Court held that the right to control one's identity is a fundamental right, and that CBSE "cannot put fetters on its duties" by refusing legitimate name-change requests made with just cause.

What that means for you, precisely. The one-year cut-off cannot be applied as an absolute bar to a name change, as distinct from a date-of-birth correction. If a school or a CBSE regional office quotes the one-year rule at you to refuse a name change, that is the judgment to point at.

But read the other half of the judgment, because most summaries omit it. The Court expressly permitted CBSE to require the gazette: "The CBSE may also insist for issuing Public Notice and publication in the Official Gazette before recording the change." It also allowed CBSE to set a reasonable limitation period. So Jigya Yadav is not authority for "you no longer need a gazette for CBSE". It is authority for "CBSE cannot refuse you outright, and it may still ask for the gazette."

One thing we will not assert. The Court directed CBSE to amend its bye-laws to incorporate the mechanism it laid down. We could not locate the amended bye-law text on cbse.gov.in, so we are not telling you the amendment is complete or what it says. Ask your school to check the current circular before you file, and if the gazette is going to be required anyway, note that for a Chandigarh resident the Rs 50 local route produces a gazette notification just as the Rs 1,100 one does.

Sources: CBSE, rules for correction and change in name and date of birth (PDF) · SCC Online, Jigya Yadav v. CBSE, 3 June 2021

Special cases

Surname Change After Marriage, Divorce & for a Minor in Chandigarh

💍

After marriage

A woman changing her surname follows the same three steps and adds her marriage certificate. Taking a spouse's surname is a choice, not a legal requirement, but the gazette is what makes it stick across Aadhaar, PAN, passport and bank, and bridges your maiden and married names.

📄

After divorce

Reverting to a maiden or previous name uses the same affidavit, newspaper and gazette route, with the divorce decree as supporting proof. The process does not change, only the stated reason and supporting document differ. No fresh court case is needed just to change the name back.

🧒

For a minor

A parent or legal guardian applies and signs on the child's behalf, with the birth certificate attached. The minor fee is typically Rs 1,700. CBSE and most boards ask for the gazette (and sometimes a court order) for school records.

Surname Change in Documents in Chandigarh

A video guide to changing or adding a surname across your documents in Chandigarh.

How to Change a Minor's Name in Chandigarh

A video guide to changing a minor's name in Chandigarh, with a parent or guardian applying.

Name Change After Divorce in Chandigarh

A video guide to changing your name after divorce in Chandigarh, using the divorce decree as supporting proof.

A separate route

Government Employees in Chandigarh: A Separate Route

Chandigarh hosts the UT Administration, the Punjab and Haryana Secretariats and the High Court, so a large government workforce is based here. Central government employees do not file the standard self-application gazette. They follow the Ministry of Home Affairs Office Memorandum No. 190016/1/87-Estt.(A) dated 12/03/1987, executing a deed and publishing through the proper departmental channel. UT and state employees can route service-record changes through their department and the relevant gazette process.

Tip: either way, check with your establishment section first so your service record updates cleanly alongside the change.

Name Change for Government Employees in Chandigarh

A video guide to the separate name-change route for Government employees in Chandigarh.

Every document

Name Change Services We Handle in Chandigarh

A gazette on its own is only useful once your other records match it. We help you update your new name across all the documents that matter.

🪪

Aadhaar Card

Name change or spelling correction with the gazette as proof.

💳

PAN Card

Name update through the NSDL or UTIITSL route.

🗳️

Voter ID (EPIC)

Name correction on the electoral roll via Form 8.

🛂

Passport

Re-issue with your new name using the Central Gazette.

🚗

Driving Licence

Name update at the RLA with the gazette copy.

🏦

Bank & KYC

Update your name across bank accounts and KYC records.

🎓

School & University

Records for CBSE schools and Panjab University.

📜

Birth Certificate

Correction through the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh Registrar under the RBD Act, not the gazette.

🛡️

LIC & Insurance

Name change on policies and insurance records.

How to Change Name in Passport in Chandigarh

How to update your name on a passport in Chandigarh using the Central Gazette, after your notification is published.

Name Change in Education Documents in Chandigarh

How to update your name on school, board and other education documents in Chandigarh using the gazette.

Father's Name Change in Passport in Chandigarh

How to correct or change the father's name on a passport in Chandigarh.

Tell us which documents you need updated. Call 9540005026 and we guide you through each one after the gazette.

Across the city

Areas in Chandigarh We Serve

We handle name change work for people all across Chandigarh and the tricity, with doorstep pickup and delivery.

From Sector 17 and Sector 22 to Sector 35, Sector 43 and Manimajra, the legal steps are identical, because a name change runs on paperwork, not on which sector you live in. The same file works for the whole Union Territory, and birth certificate corrections for city records stay with Municipal Corporation Chandigarh.

Sector 17 Sector 22 Sector 35 Sector 43 Sector 15 Sector 8 Sector 9 Sector 34 Sector 20 Sector 44 Sector 26 Sector 37 Sector 40 Manimajra Industrial Area Burail Dhanas Maloya Ramdarbar Mauli Jagran Chandigarh UT Tricity

Do not see your area? We still cover it. Call 9540005026 and we will confirm.

Avoid these

Why Name Change Applications Get Rejected in Chandigarh

Most rejections come from avoidable mismatches. Because the gazette fee is non-refundable, a rejection means paying again.

Reason	What to do instead
Name mismatch across affidavit, ads and ID	Fix one exact spelling and use it everywhere, even initials
Wrong newspaper for the route	The Chandigarh route needs a national paper in English or Hindi, a Punjabi-only advertisement may be refused. The Central route needs a daily local leading paper
Photo or scan of the newspaper	Submit the original printed page
Incomplete proforma or missing declaration	Complete every field and sign the declaration
Soft copy that does not match the hard copy	Make the soft-copy text identical to the proforma
Typos in the application text	Proofread; the gazette prints exactly what you submit
Wrong fee category or missing receipt	Pay the correct category on BharatKosh and attach the receipt
Blurry or expired ID/address proof	Use clear, current documents
Documents more than one year old	The Department of Publication does not accept documents older than one year, so file while papers are fresh

Your call

Do You Need a Name Change Agent in Chandigarh?

Doing it yourself is possible and saves the service fee, if you have time to draft the affidavit correctly, book two ads, prepare the file, pay the fee, and submit it to the Chandigarh Administration or courier it to Delhi. The trade-off is rejection risk, since one small mismatch means a restart, minus the non-refundable fee.

A name change agent in Chandigarh handles the affidavit, newspaper booking, file preparation, fee and submission, and tracks publication for you. It is the sensible choice when your time is tight, there is a deadline such as a passport appointment or an overseas move, or your case has a complication such as a minor, a divorce, a service record, or a document that already carries a spelling error.

Name Change Agent in Chandigarh

A video on how a name change agent in Chandigarh handles the whole process for you, end to end.

Expert insights

Three Things the Experienced Know About Chandigarh Name Changes

🏛️

The UT gazette is address-locked

The Chandigarh Administration e-Gazette (egazette.chd.gov.in) works only for Chandigarh UT addresses. A Punjab or Haryana address cannot use it, and a Chandigarh address does not need theirs. Filing on the wrong portal wastes weeks.

🔤

Match your name letter for letter

The single reason files fail is a spelling gap between the declaration or affidavit, the newspaper advertisement and the ID proof. The gazette prints exactly what you submit, so pick one exact spelling and use it everywhere.

📜

Know the birth certificate exception

A spelling fix on a birth certificate is not a gazette job. It goes through the Registrar under Section 15 of the RBD Act, 1969, via Municipal Corporation Chandigarh. Sending it to the gazette wastes the non-refundable fee.

Why YourDoorstep

Why People in Chandigarh Choose Us

📍

Both routes covered

We handle the Chandigarh Administration Gazette through the local process, and the Central Gazette at Civil Lines, Delhi, where our own office sits, so your file is submitted and tracked to publication.

📰

English, Hindi & Punjabi ads

We book both newspaper ads for you in the correct format, in the dailies that circulate in Chandigarh and the tricity.

🚗

Doorstep pickup

Document pickup and delivery across Sector 17, Sector 22, Manimajra and beyond, with everything else on call and WhatsApp.

✅

We check before we submit

We review the full file against the checklist before filing, so there are fewer rejections, and we handle Aadhaar, PAN and passport after.

An example of a case we handle. A professional in Sector 35 got married and needed her new surname on her passport and PAN before an overseas project, with barely six weeks in hand. She sent her details and marriage certificate on WhatsApp. We drafted the affidavit, arranged the notary, booked an English paper and a Hindi paper, paid the BharatKosh fee, and filed the Central Gazette in Delhi. In a few weeks the notice was published, and she updated her passport and PAN in time. She never took a day off work. This is an illustrative example of the type of case we handle, not a named client review.

Quick Answers to Common Searches

How much does the Central Gazette cost for Chandigarh residents? Rs 1,100 for adults and Rs 1,700 for minors, paid on BharatKosh (NTRP). Each extra alias name adds Rs 250, applicants living abroad pay Rs 3,500, and the fee is non-refundable.

How fresh do my documents need to be? The Department of Publication does not accept documents older than one year, so complete the affidavit, newspaper ads and gazette filing without a long gap. Documents once submitted are not returned.

Where is the gazette office in Chandigarh? The Chandigarh Administration Gazette is published by the Department of Printing and Stationery, Chandigarh Administration. The Central Gazette office is in Delhi, not Chandigarh.

Should I use the Chandigarh Administration Gazette or the Central Gazette? Both are valid. Use the Central Gazette for passport, visa and central jobs, since it is accepted everywhere. The Administration Gazette works well if your records stay within the Union Territory.

Which newspapers do I use in Chandigarh? One English daily such as The Tribune, The Times of India or Hindustan Times, and one Hindi or Punjabi daily such as Dainik Bhaskar, Punjab Kesari or Ajit.

Is a birth certificate name change done through the gazette? No. It is a Registrar correction under Section 15 of the RBD Act, 1969, through the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh.

Let YourDoorstep handle it for you

We prepare the affidavit, book the English and Hindi or Punjabi newspaper ads, pay the government fee, and file the gazette for you, whether the Chandigarh Administration route or the Central route, then guide you on updating Aadhaar, PAN and passport. Doorstep service across Chandigarh and the tricity, honest pricing.

📞9540005026
💬WhatsApp 9540005064
✉️ support@yourdoorstep.co.in
🕘 Mon to Sat, 9 AM to 6 PM

Call Now WhatsApp

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Free downloads

Official Forms and Guideline PDFs

The two Chandigarh documents at the top of this table are the ones nobody links, and they are the whole reason the local route costs Rs 50. Both are free, both are on the Administration's own server.

Quick Answer

For the Chandigarh route you need exactly two files: the instructions sheet and the application form, which contains the newspaper specimen, the application and the Declaration on three pages. For the Central route there is no single form, you assemble the file from the category guideline that matches your case.

Document	Who needs it	Download
Chandigarh, Instructions regarding Change of Name	Every Chandigarh applicant. The eight-item requirement list	PDF
Chandigarh, Application form for Change of Name	Every Chandigarh applicant. Newspaper specimen, application and self-signed Declaration	PDF
Chandigarh e-Gazette portal	Searching and downloading published notifications, free	egazette.chd.gov.in
Central, Guidelines for Change of Name, Adult (Major)	Anyone 18 or over taking the Delhi route. Fee, one-newspaper rule, seven-item checklist, proforma wording	PDF
Central, Guidelines for Change of Name, Minor	A parent or guardian filing for a child. Rs 1,700 in India, Rs 5,100 abroad	PDF
Central, Change of Name and Gender in Public Notice	Anyone changing name and gender together. Contains the "Public Notice heading" rule	PDF
Central, Notification of Public Notice	Public notices other than a plain change of name	PDF
Central, Change of Religion	Rs 1,700 track, distinct from adopting a religious name without converting	PDF
Central, Deed for Central Government Employees	Central Government staff. Two gazetted-officer witnesses from your own department	PDF
Central, List of Acceptable Documents	Proof of old name and of address, including the 3-month rule on utility bills	PDF
CBSE, rules for correction and change in name and date of birth	Anyone changing a name on a CBSE certificate	PDF
Punjab, services of the Printing & Stationery Department	Read this if anyone quotes you "Rs 160" as a Chandigarh fee	PDF
All Central guidelines, index page	In case a link above moves	deptpub.gov.in

What does not exist, so stop hunting. There is no official "name change procedure in Chandigarh" booklet, no government affidavit format (an affidavit is a notarial document, so any "official format" PDF is somebody's template), no Chandigarh fee notification separate from the amount printed on the form, and no Central fee schedule dated after 31 March 2017. The files above are the real set.

People also search for

Name Change in Chandigarh: Questions People Actually Ask

Is it true the Chandigarh gazette only costs Rs 50?+

Yes, with one honest qualification. Rs 50 is the amount printed on the Chandigarh Administration's own change-of-name application form, in the office endorsement block the department completes on receipt: "Payment received vide FR No. ______ dated ______ for Rs. 50/-". We searched for a separately published Chandigarh fee notification and could not find one, so we describe it accurately as the fee recorded on the official form rather than as "the notified fee". The form also does not state whether payment is by cash, treasury challan or demand draft, ask on 0172-2700294 when you call.

Is there really no per-alias fee?+

Correct, and this page said otherwise until this update, so we are fixing our own error in public. No Department of Publication guideline mentions an alias or per-additional-name charge anywhere. The Rs 250 that circulates across this whole niche is the add-on for adopting a name associated with another religion without converting: Rs 1,100 + Rs 250 = Rs 1,350, with an undertaking confirming you are not changing your religion. Changing your religion itself is a separate Rs 1,700 track.

Someone quoted me Rs 160 for a Chandigarh gazette. Is that real?+

It is a real fee, but almost certainly not yours. Rs 160 is Punjab's, for the service Punjab calls "Gazette notification for change of name of Government servant", open to Punjab government servants only, routed through their parent department. Punjab's Printing and Stationery Department is physically located in Chandigarh, because Chandigarh is Punjab's capital, and that is exactly why its fee keeps appearing online relabelled as the Chandigarh fee. The Chandigarh UT fee is Rs 50. The full mix-up.

Do I need a gazette for a CBSE certificate?+

Only for a genuine change of name, not for a correction. CBSE fixes a spelling or factual error from school records alone, the admission form your parents filled in, the previous school's leaving certificate and the admission-and-withdrawal register page, all attested and forwarded by the Head of Institution. For a real change of name CBSE's rules require gazette notification, and the Supreme Court in Jigya Yadav v. CBSE (2021) expressly permitted CBSE to insist on it. Since Chandigarh schools are overwhelmingly CBSE, this distinction is worth getting right. Detail here.

What does a minor living abroad pay?+

Rs 5,100, not Rs 3,500. The Rs 3,500 figure on most pages is the adult non-resident rate. The Department of Publication publishes a separate guideline for minors giving Rs 1,700 in India and Rs 5,100 abroad. We could not find that Rs 5,100 figure on any other Chandigarh page, which means NRI parents reading them are being under-quoted by Rs 1,600.

Can an agent submit my Central Gazette file for me?+

The Department's name-and-gender guidelines state that submission by a lawyer, agent or representative is not permitted, it is personal submission, or post. We are saying that plainly even though we sell a name change service, because it is what the guideline says. What a service can honestly do from Chandigarh is prepare and check the file and get it to Delhi intact. What nobody can do is stand at the Delhi counter as your representative.

Is name change an e-Sampark service?+

No. e-Sampark handles electricity and water bills, property tax, certificates (caste, income, residence, legal heir, solvency), passport applications, e-stamp paper, tenant and servant registration, bookings, and the issue of birth and death certificates. Name change, gazette notification, affidavit attestation and birth-certificate correction are all absent from the published service list. You can buy e-stamp paper through Sampark, but there is no attestation counter, notaries are private practitioners appointed under the Notaries Act, 1952.

Why does the Chandigarh form still mention the Indian Penal Code?+

Because it has not been revised. The Declaration ends by citing Sections 177 and 191 of the Indian Penal Code, and the IPC was replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in force from 1 July 2024. This does not invalidate anything, sign the form as printed. But it tells you how long it has been since anyone updated it, which is a good reason to confirm the fee, the payment mode and the submission counter by phone before you travel.

Can Punjab or Haryana residents use the Chandigarh e-Gazette?+

No. The Chandigarh Administration e-Gazette (egazette.chd.gov.in) is only for people whose address is in Chandigarh UT. A Punjab or Haryana address goes through the Central Gazette instead, or that state's own route where one exists. Applying on the wrong portal wastes time.

How old can my affidavit and newspaper ads be?+

Not more than one year. The Department of Publication does not accept documents older than one year, so file the gazette while your papers are fresh. Documents once submitted are not returned, so keep clear copies.

Will I get a printed gazette copy by post?+

No. Printed copies stopped from 1 October 2015. Once published, you download the PDF from egazette.gov.in under Weekly Gazette, Part IV, published every Saturday. The downloaded PDF needs no certification or stamp.

How do I complete the name change procedure in Chandigarh?+

It depends which route you take. For the Chandigarh e-Gazette: sign the Administration's own Declaration form yourself, with no notary, publish one advertisement in a national English or Hindi newspaper, and submit the set with Chandigarh residence proof and Rs 50 to the Controller, Printing and Stationery Department, U.T., Chandigarh. For the Central Gazette: a notarised affidavit, one advertisement in a daily local leading paper, then the seven-item file sent to Civil Lines, Delhi with the Rs 1,100 BharatKosh receipt.

Where is the gazette office in Chandigarh?+

The publisher is the Printing and Stationery Department, Chandigarh Administration, and its e-Gazette portal is egazette.chd.gov.in. For change of name the portal publishes a dedicated line: 0172-2700294 and 9915030009, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on working days. Portal and technical queries go to 0172-2700213 and 0172-2700208. You will see "Sector 17" and "Sector 18" addresses elsewhere, we could not verify a street address from any government source, so we are not printing one. Call the helpline and ask which counter takes the file.

Should I use the Chandigarh Administration Gazette or the Central Gazette?+

For most Chandigarh residents, the Chandigarh e-Gazette, and by a much wider margin than this page used to suggest. It costs Rs 50 on the Administration's own form, needs no affidavit, no notary and no stamp paper, and the government publishes both the form and the instructions free. You need Chandigarh residence proof. Choose the Central Gazette (Rs 1,100 adult) when the change has to travel, a passport or visa, an embassy, a central government post, or an employer running strict background verification. Almost nobody needs both. The full comparison.

How long does name change take in Chandigarh?+

Budget three to six weeks. For the Central route a Department of Publication reply under the RTI Act gives 45 days after receiving all corrected documents, note "corrected", which is the department telling you an incomplete file restarts the clock. For the Chandigarh route no processing time is published at all, which is one of the things worth asking on 0172-2700294 before you file. Treat any "guaranteed in 10 days" promise as sales copy on either route.

What is the cost of name change in Chandigarh?+

It depends entirely on the route, and the gap is large. Chandigarh e-Gazette: Rs 50 plus one newspaper advertisement, with no affidavit, notary or stamp paper, realistically Rs 550 to Rs 3,550 all in. Central Gazette: Rs 1,100 for an adult (Rs 1,700 minor; Rs 3,500 and Rs 5,100 from abroad), plus a notarised affidavit on stamp paper and postage to Delhi, realistically Rs 1,700 to Rs 5,900. Ignore the Rs 160 figure that circulates: that is Punjab's fee for Punjab government servants.

Which newspapers do I use in Chandigarh?+

One advertisement, not two, on either route. The Chandigarh route asks for a "National newspaper (Original) ... in English/Hindi"; the Central route for "one of the daily local leading newspapers". Two conditions catch people out on the Chandigarh route: it must be a national paper and the advertisement must be in English or Hindi, so Ajit and the Punjabi Tribune may not qualify. Common choices are The Tribune, The Times of India and Hindustan Times in English, Dainik Bhaskar and Amar Ujala in Hindi. But no newspaper is government-approved for this; the only test is qualitative.

Is a name change affidavit in Chandigarh enough on its own?+

Two corrections here. First, for the Chandigarh route you do not need an affidavit at all, the Administration asks for a self-signed Declaration; the words "notary", "affidavit" and "stamp paper" appear nowhere on its form. Second, no declaration or affidavit is enough on its own on either route: it is one document in a set, and it is the gazette notification that downstream offices treat as proof. An affidavit alone will get you turned away at most counters.

How do I handle a name change in Chandigarh for passport?+

Use the Central Gazette route, then apply for a passport re-issue with the gazette copy, affidavit and old passport, so your passport matches your other records.

How do I change my name in my Aadhaar card in Chandigarh?+

After the gazette is published, visit an Aadhaar Seva Kendra with the gazette notification, affidavit and newspaper copies to update your name.

Can I do the name change process online in Chandigarh?+

No, on either route. The Chandigarh portal's only login is "Login for User Department", there is no citizen registration and no application module; the change-of-name block gives you two PDFs and a phone number. On the Central route the rule is that an "application either submitted personally or sent by Post/ Courier only will be entertained", and only the fee is online through BharatKosh. What is online on both routes is downloading your published notification afterwards, free.

Can I revert to my maiden name after divorce in Chandigarh?+

Yes, using the affidavit, newspaper and gazette route with your divorce decree as supporting proof. No separate court petition is needed just to change the name back.

Do I need a gazette to fix a spelling mistake in my birth certificate?+

No. That is a Registrar matter under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, at Municipal Corporation Chandigarh. If the name was never entered you are adding one under Section 14; if a name is recorded but wrong you are correcting it under Section 15, and the Act requires the correction to be made by a marginal entry "without any alteration of the original entry", so the original stays visible and no "clean new certificate" is issued. Note that e-Sampark issues birth certificates but does not correct them, so this is a Corporation counter matter. Full detail.

How do I change a minor's name in Chandigarh?+

A parent or guardian applies using the same three steps, with the child's birth certificate. The fee for minors is usually higher, around Rs 1,700.

Is the Central Gazette office in Chandigarh?+

No. The Department of Publication is at Civil Lines, Delhi-110054, behind the old Vidhan Sabha, and there is no Central Gazette counter in Chandigarh, so do not travel looking for one. Postal submission is expressly permitted, and courier is accepted in practice, though the guidelines themselves say "personally or by post". What is in Chandigarh is the Chandigarh Administration's own gazette office, which is a different and much cheaper thing. Also beware: three separate Printing and Stationery departments (Chandigarh UT, Punjab and Haryana) all have Chandigarh addresses. Which is which.

I am a Government employee in Chandigarh, is my process different?+

Yes, and which rulebook applies depends on who employs you. A Central Government employee uses the Department of Publication's published deed, which must be witnessed by two gazetted officers of your own department or ministry with designation, official address and rubber stamp, not a notary. A Punjab Government servant has a dedicated Punjab service at Rs 160, routed through the parent department. A Chandigarh Administration employee should route the change through their establishment section so the service record matches. There is no separate higher fee slab for government servants on either gazette.

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How to Change Name Legally in Chandigarh (2026)

Watch: Name Change Process in Chandigarh

Chandigarh name change at a glance

Key takeaways

The 3-Step Name Change Process in Chandigarh

Notarised affidavit

Newspaper publication

Gazette notification

Step 1: Make and notarise the affidavit

Step 2: Publish the change in a newspaper, one, not two

Step 3: File for the gazette notification

How to Change or Correct Your Name in Chandigarh

Chandigarh Administration Gazette vs Central Gazette: Which Should You Use?

Use the Central Gazette if

Use the Chandigarh Administration Gazette if

How to Publish the Gazette Notification in Chandigarh

Where Is the Gazette Office in Chandigarh?

Gazette Office in Chandigarh: Address & Details

Chandigarh Runs Its Own Gazette, It Costs Rs 50, and It Needs No Affidavit

What the Administration actually asks for

Who to call, and when, straight off the government portal

One newspaper rule that will catch Punjabi speakers out

Can you do it online? No, and here is exactly why

A drafting curiosity worth knowing about

Punjab, Haryana or Chandigarh? The Rs 160 Trap

What Other Websites Get Wrong About Name Change in Chandigarh

Full Document Checklist for a Chandigarh Name Change

Documents Required for Name Change in Chandigarh

Is the Name Change Process in Chandigarh Fully Online?

Both Chandigarh Routes, Side by Side

Real Cost of Name Change in Chandigarh, Route by Route

How Long Does a Name Change Take in Chandigarh?

After the Gazette: Updating Aadhaar, PAN, Passport & School Records in Order

How to Change Name in Aadhaar Card in Chandigarh

How to Change Name in PAN Card in Chandigarh

How to Change Name in Driving Licence in Chandigarh

Birth Certificate Spelling Mistake? Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, Not the Gazette

Section 14 or Section 15? They are not the same application

Chandigarh's own rules, and a 2025 change worth knowing

Where you actually go

CBSE Certificates: When You Need a Gazette, and When You Definitely Do Not

The Supreme Court case that changed this, and the part that did not change

Surname Change After Marriage, Divorce & for a Minor in Chandigarh

After marriage

After divorce

For a minor

Surname Change in Documents in Chandigarh

How to Change a Minor's Name in Chandigarh

Name Change After Divorce in Chandigarh

Government Employees in Chandigarh: A Separate Route

Name Change for Government Employees in Chandigarh

Name Change Services We Handle in Chandigarh

Aadhaar Card

PAN Card

Voter ID (EPIC)

Passport

Driving Licence

Bank & KYC

School & University

Birth Certificate

LIC & Insurance

How to Change Name in Passport in Chandigarh

Name Change in Education Documents in Chandigarh

Father's Name Change in Passport in Chandigarh

Areas in Chandigarh We Serve

Why Name Change Applications Get Rejected in Chandigarh

Do You Need a Name Change Agent in Chandigarh?

Name Change Agent in Chandigarh

Three Things the Experienced Know About Chandigarh Name Changes

The UT gazette is address-locked

Match your name letter for letter

Know the birth certificate exception

Why People in Chandigarh Choose Us

Both routes covered

English, Hindi & Punjabi ads

Doorstep pickup

We check before we submit

Quick Answers to Common Searches

Let YourDoorstep handle it for you

Official Forms and Guideline PDFs