The complete guide to changing your name in Shimla, from The Mall and Lower Bazaar to Sanjauli, Chhota Shimla and New Shimla. Three legal steps, the real Himachal Pradesh State 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 Shimla residents.
In this video, the YourDoorstep team explains how to change your name legally in Shimla: 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 Shimla 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 Shimla, including a real local advantage: the Himachal Pradesh state gazette is published right here in Shimla, and which gazette you should choose.
To change your name legally in Shimla, sign a notarised affidavit stating your old name, new name and reason, publish it in one Hindi and one English newspaper, then apply for a Gazette notification. Shimla residents can use the Himachal Pradesh State Gazette, published here in Shimla, or the Central Gazette. The fee is Rs 1,100 for adults and Rs 1,700 for minors, 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 Himachal Pradesh 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, Shimla 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.
Publish the notice in two papers, one Hindi and one English. Keep the full original printed pages, not photos.
Submit the affidavit, both cuttings, ID and address proof, photo, declaration, 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. In Shimla you can notarise it at the district court complex or 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 Hindi and one in English. The notice carries your old name, new name, father's or husband's name, and address. In Shimla, common Hindi papers include Amar Ujala, Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Himachal and Punjab Kesari, and English options include The Tribune and Hindustan Times. Keep the original printed pages, not phone photos, because they go into your gazette file.
You submit the affidavit, both newspaper cuttings, ID and address proof, a passport-size photo, a signed declaration and a soft copy, along with the government fee. For the state route the file goes to the Controller of Printing and Stationery in Shimla. 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.
Both are legally valid. The right choice depends on where you need the name recognised. As the state capital, Shimla has the HP state gazette press right in the city.
| Point | Himachal Pradesh State Gazette (Rajpatra) | Central Gazette of India |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | Controller of Printing & Stationery, Himachal Pradesh, Shimla | Department of Publication, Delhi |
| Published in | Himachal Pradesh State Gazette (Rajpatra) | Part IV, Gazette of India |
| Valid for | Within Himachal Pradesh | All of India and abroad |
| Download | rajpatrahimachal.nic.in | egazette.gov.in |
| Best for | State records, often cheaper, local | Passport, PAN, Aadhaar, banks, embassies |
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 Himachal Pradesh. The Central Gazette is accepted everywhere without question, which is why it is the safest pick for anything that leaves the state.
Your records, job and future are staying within the state, and you would like a route handled by the state's own press right here in Shimla. For state government service records and local matters, the HP state gazette does the job, and it is often cheaper. Himachal has an active e-gazette portal, which makes access easier.
Filing from elsewhere in Himachal, or moving for work? The gazette routes are identical across the state. See the full Himachal Pradesh name change guide for the parent state, the Dehradun guide for the hill capital next door, and the Delhi guide for where the central files land.
Here is Shimla's real advantage, and a point some websites confuse. Let us set it straight.
Because Shimla is the state capital, the Himachal Pradesh State Gazette is published here, by the Controller of Printing and Stationery, Government of Himachal Pradesh, in Shimla, with the e-gazette portal at rajpatrahimachal.nic.in. So for the state route, your gazette office is local.
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. There is no Central Gazette counter in Shimla, so that file travels to Delhi.
A video guide to the Gazette office in Himachal Pradesh, including where it sits and how the state route works.
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 |
|---|---|
| "Draw a Demand Draft in favour of the Controller of Publications, Shimla" | There is no Controller of Publications in Shimla, and demand drafts are not accepted anyway. The Department of Publication sits at Civil Lines, Delhi-110054, and the Central Gazette fee is paid only online through BharatKosh. Himachal's own Rajpatra runs through the state's Controller of Printing and Stationery, a different office entirely. |
| "You must not have any pending legal cases or criminal charges to be eligible" | No such blanket eligibility bar exists. The restriction is on fraudulent intent, using a name change to hide identity or escape debts and liabilities. Having a pending case does not by itself stop a gazette name change. |
| "You must be at least 18 years of age to apply" | A minor's name is changed by the parents through the same gazette route at Rs 1,700 on BharatKosh. Age changes who signs the papers, not whether it can be done. |
| "The procedure varies depending on the reason, and it is lengthy and complex" | Marriage, divorce, numerology, spelling or plain preference, the route is the same three steps: notarised affidavit, two newspaper ads and the gazette notification. Extra documents like a marriage certificate get added to the file; the steps never change. |
| "Get your name change done for just Rs 999" | The Central Gazette government fee alone is Rs 1,100 for an adult on BharatKosh, so no honest all-inclusive service can cost Rs 999. Teaser pricing quietly excludes the gazette fee, stamp paper, notary and newspaper ads. |
| "Submit a CD with the typed content of your notification" | The CD belongs to the old process. The current Department of Publication checklist runs on the BharatKosh payment receipt, the notarised affidavit, newspaper originals, ID proofs, photographs and two hard copies of the specimen form. No compact disc. |
| "Under the Family Courts Act, 1988, a woman can initiate proceedings in her maiden name" | The Family Courts Act is of 1984, not 1988, and more importantly, no family court step exists anywhere in a gazette name change. Marriage, divorce or personal preference all use the same three steps: affidavit, two newspaper ads and the gazette notification. |
| "Your newspaper notice must state the reason for the name change" | The ad format needs your old name, new name, parentage or husband's name, and address. No reason is required in the newspaper notice, and nobody evaluates your reason at any stage of the gazette route. |
| "Your printed 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 it needs no certification or stamp. |
| "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 Shimla Municipal Corporation or your local Registrar, 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 | Old name, new name, reason, father's/husband's name, address |
| Original newspaper cuttings | Yes | One Hindi, one English, 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 (NTRP) receipt 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 Shimla | Attested by the Indian Embassy or High Commission |
| Deed + departmental route | For government employees | Under the MHA Office Memorandum |
Partly. Himachal Pradesh runs an e-gazette portal at rajpatrahimachal.nic.in where you can access and download notifications, and you can draft the affidavit, book newspaper ads and download the Central Gazette PDF online. What is not purely online: the affidavit needs a physical signature before a notary, and the file often reaches the Shimla press (state) or Delhi (central) as a physical submission.
So "100 percent online" overstates it. Treat it as mostly online with an in-person notary step, and that is exactly the part we handle for you.
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 1,000 |
| Newspaper ads (Hindi + English) | Rs 400 to Rs 3,000 (depends on the papers) |
| Himachal Pradesh State Gazette fee | Nominal state fee (varies) |
| 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 (state or central) | Rs 100 to Rs 300 |
| Self-done total | Roughly Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 or more |
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 Himachal Pradesh State Gazette timeline depends on the Shimla press'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.
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 (HPBOSE/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 Shimla 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 Shimla 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. No fresh court case is needed just to change the name back.
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. HPBOSE, CBSE and most boards ask for the gazette (and sometimes a court order) for school records.
Shimla hosts the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat and a large state workforce, so this matters here. Himachal Pradesh 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 HPBOSE, CBSE and universities.
Correction through the Shimla 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 Shimla and the nearby hills, with doorstep pickup and remote handling.
From The Mall, Lower Bazaar and Chhota Shimla to Sanjauli, Kasumpti and towns down the hills like Solan and Mandi, the legal steps are identical, because a name change runs on paperwork, not on which part of Shimla or Himachal you live in. The same file works for the whole state and everywhere in India, and birth certificate corrections stay with Shimla Municipal Corporation or your 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 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 mix (two English or two Hindi) | Use one Hindi and one English 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; 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 submit it at the Shimla press 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 Shimla 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, you live in an outlying area, or your case has a complication such as a minor, a divorce, a service record, or a document that already carries a spelling error.
We handle the Himachal Pradesh State Gazette through the Shimla press process, 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 for you in the correct format, in the dailies that circulate in Shimla.
Document pickup and delivery across The Mall, Sanjauli, Chhota Shimla, New Shimla and beyond, 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 Shimla 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 Shimla? The Himachal Pradesh state gazette is published in Shimla by the Controller of Printing and Stationery, with an e-gazette portal at rajpatrahimachal.nic.in. The Central Gazette office is in Delhi.
Should I use the HP State Gazette or the Central Gazette? Both are valid. Use the Central Gazette for passport, visa and central jobs, since it is accepted everywhere. The HP State Gazette, published here in Shimla, works well if your records stay within the state.
Which newspapers do I use in Shimla? One Hindi daily such as Amar Ujala, Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Himachal or Punjab Kesari, and one English daily such as The Tribune or Hindustan Times.
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 Shimla Municipal Corporation.
We prepare the affidavit, book the Hindi and English newspaper ads, pay the government fee, and file the gazette for you, whether the Himachal Pradesh State route or the Central route, then guide you on updating Aadhaar, PAN and passport. Doorstep service across Shimla, 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 HP Rajpatra route has its own fee. Stamp paper, notary and two newspaper ads come on top. Rs 999 all-inclusive offers exclude the government fee itself.
Be careful: most "helpline" numbers on blogs are private agents. Himachal's Rajpatra runs through the state Controller of Printing and Stationery in Shimla, and 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.
State route: Himachal Rajpatra issues are archived on the state portal (rajpatrahimachal.nic.in). Central route: search your name on egazette.gov.in under Weekly Gazette, Part IV, published every Saturday. Neither PDF needs certification.
Entirely your choice, nothing in law requires it. If you do want a change, the same three steps apply with your marriage certificate added. No court appearance is needed.
Partly online: BharatKosh payment and the final download from egazette.gov.in happen online. The complete central file still reaches Delhi by post or in person, which works fine from the hills, no Delhi trip needed.
HP Board (Dharamshala) 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 full Himachal Pradesh name change guide for the parent state. Same verified facts, local routes.
People also search for: Name change agent in Shimla, gazette office in Shimla, name change in birth certificate Shimla, surname change after marriage, passport name change Shimla, Aadhaar name change online, Himachal Pradesh State Gazette vs Central Gazette.
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 Shimla is a clear, three-step legal process: an affidavit, a Hindi and English newspaper notice, and a gazette notification, with a real local advantage: the Himachal Pradesh state gazette is published right here in Shimla, and the state runs an e-gazette portal at rajpatrahimachal.nic.in. For a passport, visa or central government job, anything that needs to be recognised outside the state, the Central Gazette is the safer pick because it is accepted everywhere. For records staying within Himachal Pradesh, the state gazette is a valid, locally convenient option. Just remember the Central office is in Delhi, not Shimla, even though the state gazette press is here. 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 or more. If there is a deadline, a minor, a divorce, a service record or an existing spelling error in the mix, we can handle it end to end at your doorstep.
Three clean steps: affidavit, Hindi and English newspaper ads, and the gazette notification. We can prepare and file it for you, Himachal Pradesh State or Central route, then update your Aadhaar, PAN and passport.
