The complete guide to changing your name in Gandhinagar, from Sector 21 and Infocity to Kudasan and Sargasan. Three legal steps, the real Gujarat e-Gazette vs Central Gazette choice, verified fees, documents and timeline, with doorstep service.
A quick walkthrough of the affidavit, the newspaper ad and the Gazette notification for Gandhinagar residents.
In this video, the YourDoorstep team explains how to change your name legally in Gandhinagar: which gazette to choose, the documents you need, the real fees, and how we handle the whole thing at your doorstep.
Changing your name in Gandhinagar is a defined legal process with three parts: a notarised affidavit, a newspaper publication, and a Gazette notification. Do all three correctly and your new name is recognised everywhere, from passport and PAN to Aadhaar, bank and board certificates. Miss one, or let a spelling slip between them, and you are redoing the work and paying the government fee again. This guide covers the whole procedure for anyone living in Gandhinagar, including a local advantage most guides skip: the Gujarat state gazette press is right here in the city, and Gujarat runs its own online e-Gazette.
To change your name legally in Gandhinagar, sign a notarised affidavit stating your old name, new name and reason, publish it in one Gujarati and one English newspaper, then apply for a Gazette notification. Gandhinagar residents can use the Gujarat e-Gazette (egazette.gujarat.gov.in), published in the city, or the Central Gazette. The fee is Rs 1,100 for adults and Rs 1,700 for minors (Central), and the total time is about 3 to 6 weeks.
Definition: A gazette notification is an official notice published in the Gazette (Part IV of the Gazette of India, or the Gujarat State Gazette) that turns your name change into a public, legally recognised record, accepted by the passport office, banks, UIDAI and government departments.
Every legal name change in India, Gandhinagar included, runs through the same three stages. Doing one or two of them does not finish the job.
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 or a First-Class Magistrate.
Publish the notice in two papers, one Gujarati and one English. Keep the full original printed pages, not photos.
Submit the affidavit, both cuttings, ID and address proof, photo, soft copy and fee. Once published, this is your permanent legal proof.
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 or a First-Class Magistrate. In Gandhinagar you can notarise it through any registered notary in the city and buy stamp paper through authorised vendors. Fix the exact spelling of your new name now, because it is copied into everything that follows.
You publish a short name-change notice in two newspapers, one in Gujarati (the state language) and one in English. The notice carries your old name, new name, father's or husband's name, and address. Keep the original printed pages, not phone photos, because they go into your gazette file, and double-check the Gujarati spelling.
You submit the affidavit, both newspaper cuttings, ID and address proof, a passport-size photo and a soft copy, along with the government fee. For the state route you apply through the Gujarat e-Gazette or the Government Printing Press at Sector 29. For the Central route the file 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.
Both are legally valid. Gujarat gives you a genuinely local online option, while the Central Gazette is the pan-India pick.
| Point | Gujarat e-Gazette | Central Gazette of India |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | Directorate of Government Printing & Stationery, Sector 29, Gandhinagar | Department of Publication, Delhi |
| Apply at | egazette.gujarat.gov.in (Change of Name form) | Part IV, via the Department of Publication |
| Valid for | Within Gujarat | All of India and abroad |
| Download | egazette.gujarat.gov.in (with status search) | egazette.gov.in |
| Best for | State records, local, online | Passport, PAN, Aadhaar, banks, embassies |
Your records, job and future are staying within Gujarat. The e-Gazette at egazette.gujarat.gov.in has a dedicated Change of Name and Surname form, lets you upload documents, and offers a status search by reference number, which makes it convenient for state-level matters.
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 Gujarat. Some Passport Seva Kendras accept the Gujarat e-Gazette, but the Central Gazette is universally accepted, so for a passport it is the safer pick.
A full walkthrough of how to make a gazette notification for a name change, step by step.
Living near a border, or moving for work? We keep dedicated state guides too: see the full name change procedure in Rajasthan, the Maharashtra name change guide, the Madhya Pradesh guide, and the Delhi guide for where the central files land. The Central Gazette route is identical, with local details for each state.
Here is Gandhinagar's real advantage, and the accurate picture of where each gazette is handled.
Because Gandhinagar is the state capital, Gujarat's gazette is published right here. The Gujarat State Gazette (Rajpatra) is handled by the Directorate of Government Printing and Stationery, the nodal agency under the Industries and Mines Department, at the Government Printing Press, Sector 29, near Police Bhavan, Gandhinagar 382030. Applications go to the Assistant Director (Publication), and Gujarat also runs an online e-Gazette at egazette.gujarat.gov.in. So if you use the Gujarat State Gazette, the office that handles it is in your own city.
If you use the Central Gazette (Gazette of India), your file goes to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi-110054, published in Part IV and downloadable from egazette.gov.in.
North-India name-change guides tell you to publish in Hindi, which is wrong for Gujarat. Here you use one Gujarati newspaper and one English newspaper. Widely read Gujarati options include Gujarat Samachar, Sandesh and Divya Bhaskar; for English, The Times of India and The Indian Express are common.
Both ads must carry the same name-change details, and you should double-check the Gujarati spelling, since a translation error in the ad is a common cause of objection. Many Gujarat institutions ask for the Gujarati clipping alongside the gazette, so keep it safe.
The pages ranking for this topic 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 |
|---|---|
| "The Central Gazette fee is Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500, it varies by year and category" | The fee does not float. It is fixed by age: Rs 1,100 for an adult and Rs 1,700 for a minor, paid on BharatKosh, with Rs 250 per extra alias and Rs 3,500 for applicants living abroad. |
| "The affidavit must be signed by two witnesses" | A standard name change affidavit needs your signature and a Notary Public's attestation. Witnesses belong to deed formats like the government employee route, not the ordinary adult affidavit. |
| "Send your application along with a demand draft of the fee" | Demand drafts are not accepted at all. The Central Gazette fee is paid online through BharatKosh (NTRP) only, and the fee is non-refundable. |
| "The gazette office is the Printing Press near Police Bhavan, Sector 29, PIN 382030" | Per dgps.gujarat.gov.in, the Directorate of Government Printing and Stationery sits in Block No-8, Udyog Bhavan, Gandhinagar-382011, and the Government Central Press is near GH-7 Circle, Sector-29. Central Gazette files go to Delhi, not to Sector 29. |
| "Get the affidavit attested by a first-class magistrate" | A Notary Public attests the affidavit. No magistrate hearing and no court appearance is part of a standard adult name change. |
| "Your printed Central Gazette copy will arrive by post" | Printed Central Gazette copies stopped from 1 October 2015. You download the PDF from egazette.gov.in (Part IV, published every Saturday), and Gujarat Rajpatra notifications are on egazette.gujarat.gov.in. Neither needs certification. |
| "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 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, through your municipal body or local Registrar in Gujarat, not the gazette. |
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 | Before a Notary or First-Class Magistrate |
| Original newspaper cuttings | Yes | One Gujarati, one English, full printed pages |
| Identity proof | Yes | Aadhaar, PAN, passport or voter ID |
| Address proof (Gujarat residence) | Yes | Aadhaar, voter ID, electricity/water bill or rent agreement |
| Two passport-size photos | Yes | Recent |
| Change of Name and Surname form | Yes | Prescribed format (state e-Gazette or Central) |
| Soft copy (CD or USB) in MS Word | Yes | Notification text as required |
| Government fee receipt | Yes | State challan or BharatKosh for the Central route |
| Marriage certificate | For marriage | Surname change after marriage |
| Divorce decree | For divorce | Restoring your maiden name |
| Adoption deed | For adoption | Where applicable |
| Parents' ID + child's birth certificate | For minors | Guardian applies and signs |
| Gender-recognition certificate | For gender change | From the authorised authority |
| Embassy-attested deed | For NRIs from Gujarat | Plus proof of a Gujarat address |
Partly, and more than most cities. Gujarat's e-Gazette lets you fill the Change of Name form, upload documents, and track status online, and you can download the final PDF. What is not purely online: the affidavit needs a physical signature before a notary or Magistrate, and document submission may still involve a physical or courier step, while the Central route sends a file to Delhi.
So "100 percent online" overstates it, but Gandhinagar is one of the more digital-friendly places to do this. Treat it as mostly online with an in-person notary step.
Costs vary with your newspaper choice and whether you do it yourself or hire help. Here are realistic ranges.
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Stamp paper for affidavit | Rs 10 to Rs 100 |
| Notary / affidavit drafting | Rs 100 to Rs 500 |
| Newspaper ads (Gujarati + English) | Rs 400 to Rs 3,000 (depends on the papers) |
| Gujarat e-Gazette fee | Rs 500 to Rs 1,500 (as per notice length) |
| Central Gazette fee (adult) | Rs 1,100 (BharatKosh) |
| Central Gazette fee (minor) | Rs 1,700 (BharatKosh) |
| Extra alias name in the notice | Rs 250 per alias, added to the gazette fee |
| Central Gazette fee (living abroad) | Rs 3,500 as per the Department of Publication guidelines (BharatKosh) |
| Courier of file to Delhi (Central route) | Rs 100 to Rs 300 |
| Self-done total | Roughly Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 |
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 Gujarat e-Gazette commonly takes about 15 to 25 working days, while the Central Gazette usually takes 30 to 45 days. 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.
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, board (GSEB/CBSE), university | Follow the board's formal 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.
Here is a point most Gandhinagar 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 municipal body, which in the city is the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation. It is not a gazette job. The gazette route is for an actual change of name, adopting a genuinely different name.
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.
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.
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. GSEB, CBSE and most boards ask for the gazette (and sometimes a court order) for school records.
Gandhinagar houses the Gujarat Secretariat (Sachivalaya) and state offices, so a large state workforce is based here. Gujarat state government employees can route service-record name changes through the state gazette process. 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.
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.
Name change or spelling correction with the gazette as proof.
Name update through the NSDL or UTIITSL route.
Name correction on the electoral roll via Form 8.
Re-issue with your new name using the Central Gazette.
Name update at the RTO with the gazette copy.
Update your name across bank accounts and KYC records.
Records for GSEB, CBSE and Gujarat universities.
Correction through the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Registrar under the RBD Act, not the gazette.
Name change on policies and insurance records.
Tell us which documents you need updated. Call 9540005026 and we guide you through each one after the gazette.
We handle name change work for people all across Gandhinagar and the nearby area, with doorstep pickup and delivery.
From Sector 7, Sector 11 and Sector 16 to Sector 21, Sector 22 and outer areas like Kalol and Dehgam, the legal steps are identical, because a name change runs on paperwork, not on which sector or taluka of Gandhinagar district you live in. The same file works across Gujarat and everywhere in India, and birth certificate corrections stay with your municipal body or local Registrar.
Do not see your area? We still cover it. Call 9540005026 and we will confirm.
Most rejections come from avoidable mismatches. Because the Central 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 |
| Poor Gujarati translation or spelling in the ad | Get the Gujarati text checked before publishing |
| Wrong newspaper mix (two English or two Gujarati) | Use one Gujarati and one English paper |
| Photo or scan of the newspaper | Submit the original printed page |
| Incomplete application form | Complete every field before submitting |
| Soft copy that does not match the hard copy | Make the soft-copy text identical to the form |
| Payment or challan mistake | Pay the correct category 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; documents once submitted are not returned |
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 either apply through the Gujarat e-Gazette or courier a matched file to Delhi. Given Gujarat's online system, a simple case is quite doable yourself. The trade-off is rejection risk, since one small mismatch or a Gujarati spelling slip means a restart.
A name change agent in Gandhinagar 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 gender change, a service record, or a document that already carries a spelling error.
We handle the Gujarat e-Gazette online and through the Sector 29 press, and the Central Gazette at Civil Lines, Delhi, where our own office sits, so your file is submitted and tracked to publication.
We book both newspaper ads in the correct languages and check the Gujarati spelling, so a translation slip does not bounce your file.
Document pickup and delivery across Gandhinagar's sectors and nearby areas, with everything else on call and WhatsApp.
We review the full file against the checklist before filing, so there are fewer rejections, and we handle Aadhaar, PAN and passport after.
How much does the Central Gazette cost for Gandhinagar 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 Gandhinagar? The Gujarat state gazette is published by the Government Printing Press, Sector 29, near Police Bhavan, Gandhinagar, with an online e-Gazette at egazette.gujarat.gov.in. The Central Gazette office is in Delhi.
Should I use the Gujarat e-Gazette or the Central Gazette? Use the Central Gazette for passport, visa and central jobs, since it is accepted everywhere. The Gujarat e-Gazette works well for state-level records.
Which newspapers do I use in Gandhinagar? One Gujarati daily such as Gujarat Samachar, Sandesh or Divya Bhaskar, and one English daily such as The Times of India or The Indian Express, not Hindi.
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 Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation.
We prepare the affidavit, book the Gujarati and English newspaper ads, pay the government fee, and file the gazette for you, whether the Gujarat e-Gazette or the Central route, then guide you on updating Aadhaar, PAN and passport. Doorstep service across Gandhinagar, honest pricing.
These are the searches people run right after this one. Here is the short, verified answer to each, so you do not have to open ten more tabs.
Central Gazette government fee: Rs 1,100 adult, Rs 1,700 minor on BharatKosh, plus Rs 250 per extra alias and Rs 3,500 if you live abroad. The Gujarat Rajpatra has its own state fee. Stamp paper, notary and two newspaper ads come on top.
Be careful: most "helpline" numbers on blogs are private agents. The Directorate of Government Printing and Stationery sits in Udyog Bhavan, with the Government Central Press near GH-7 Circle, Sector-29 (dgps.gujarat.gov.in). Central Gazette files go to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi-110054, public dealing 10 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4 PM.
Partly online: BharatKosh payment and the final download from egazette.gov.in happen online, and Gujarat Rajpatra notifications sit on egazette.gujarat.gov.in. The complete central file still reaches Delhi by post or in person.
Same three steps, with your marriage certificate added to the file. The affidavit states your maiden name and married name. No court appearance is needed.
Central Gazette: search your name on egazette.gov.in under Weekly Gazette, Part IV, published every Saturday. Gujarat Rajpatra: egazette.gujarat.gov.in. Both PDFs need no certification.
The GSEB and universities update records against the gazette notification, so complete the gazette first. Board-specific forms and timelines then apply on top of it.
Legally you can file yourself, since the process is paperwork, not court. An agent mainly saves you from format rejections, and because the fee is non-refundable, one bounced file costs more than most assistance. Call 9540005026.
Explore our other verified guides: our national hub Name Change Service in India, How to Change Name Legally in India, and the Rajasthan name change guide next door. Same verified facts, local routes.
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The fees, offices and process on this page are checked against official Government sources, not copied from other blogs.
Government fees and timelines can change from time to time. Always confirm current details on the official portals above before you apply.
Changing your name in Gandhinagar is a clear, three-step legal process: an affidavit, a Gujarati and English newspaper notice, and a gazette notification, with a real local advantage: the Gujarat state gazette press sits right here at Sector 29, and Gujarat runs its own online e-Gazette at egazette.gujarat.gov.in with a dedicated Change of Name form. For a passport, visa or central government job, the Central Gazette is the safer, nationally accepted route, while the Gujarat e-Gazette is a genuine local option for state records. Publish in Gujarati and English, not Hindi, double-check the Gujarati spelling, match your name exactly across every document, keep your original newspaper pages, and update your records in the right order, starting with Aadhaar. Expect about 3 to 6 weeks and a realistic budget of Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000. If there is a deadline, a minor, a divorce or an existing spelling error in the mix, we can handle it end to end.
Three clean steps: affidavit, Gujarati and English newspaper ads, and the gazette notification. We can prepare and file it for you, Gujarat e-Gazette or Central route, then update your Aadhaar, PAN and passport.
