A clear, step-by-step guide to legally changing your name in Bihar. Affidavit, newspaper notice, the Bihar State Gazette and Central Gazette routes, real fees, documents and timeline, done from home in Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur or Darbhanga.
A Hindi walkthrough of the affidavit, newspaper and gazette steps for a Bihar name change.
In this video, the YourDoorstep team explains how to make a gazette notification for a name change in Bihar: the documents you need, the real fees, and how we handle the whole process at your doorstep.
Changing your name is a big step. Maybe you just got married, you are fixing a spelling mistake in your school records, or you want a fresh start after a divorce. Whatever the reason, the name change procedure in Bihar follows a clear legal path. This guide breaks down every step in plain words, from the affidavit to the final gazette, and shows how to get it done from home, whether you live in Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur or Darbhanga.
To change your name in Bihar, follow three steps. Make a notarised affidavit with your old and new name, publish the change in two newspapers (one Hindi, one English), then file for a gazette notification. Any Bihar resident can apply to the Central Gazette, the stronger option, valid across India. The fee is Rs 1,100 for adults and Rs 1,700 for minors, and the process takes about 30 to 45 days from home.
Definition: A gazette notification is an official notice published in the Government Gazette that turns your name change into a public, legally recognised record, accepted by the passport office, banks, UIDAI and government departments across India.
Here is a point many people miss. The Central Gazette, the Gazette of India, is not limited to any one state. Every Bihar resident has the full right to apply to it, with no restriction. It is run by the Government of India in Delhi, and once your name appears in it, that record is valid across all of India and abroad.
That is why the Central Gazette is treated as the stronger gazette. The passport office, UIDAI, banks, public sector employers, universities and foreign embassies all accept it. If your new name has to work anywhere beyond a local Bihar record, this is the route to choose from the start.
Bihar does run its own online State Gazette portal, so it helps to see both side by side.
| Point | Bihar State Gazette | Central Gazette of India |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | Government of Bihar (Finance Department) | Department of Publication, Government of India, Delhi |
| Who can apply | Bihar residents | Any Bihar resident, no restriction |
| How you apply | Online via egazette.bihar.gov.in | File sent to Civil Lines, Delhi, by post, courier or in person |
| Government fee | Roughly Rs 200 to Rs 500 | Rs 1,100 adult, Rs 1,700 minor (BharatKosh) |
| Valid for | State-level records only | All over India and abroad, including passport, PAN, Aadhaar, banks, PSU jobs |
| Strength | State-level proof | The stronger, more widely accepted proof |
Living near a border, or moving for work? We keep dedicated state guides too: see the full name change procedure in Uttar Pradesh, the Delhi name change guide for families settled in the NCR, and the name change procedure in Rajasthan. The Central Gazette route is identical, with local details for each state.
The Bihar State Gazette is published online through egazette.bihar.gov.in, run by the Finance Department, Government of Bihar, in Patna. The Central Gazette file goes to the Department of Publication, Controller of Publications, Civil Lines, Delhi-110054, and is downloaded from egazette.gov.in (Part IV, published every Saturday; the PDF needs no certification or stamp).
Yes. A legal name change in India runs on paperwork, not office visits. There is no single name change office you must line up at.
For the Central Gazette route, the only place the file must physically reach is the Department of Publication in Delhi. That is far from Bihar, so travelling makes no sense. You do not need to go. Our own office is in Delhi. You share your details from your home in Bihar, we prepare the affidavit, book the newspaper ads, pay the government fee, and hand your file to the Gazette office in Delhi ourselves. Once it is published, we send you the gazette PDF.
Every legal name change through the Central Gazette follows the same three steps, in this order.
A short legal statement on stamp paper with your old name, new name, address, father's or husband's name, and the reason, signed before a notary.
Announce the change in two papers, one Hindi and one English. This is a public notice, so anyone can object if something is wrong.
The file goes to the Department of Publication, Delhi. Your notice is printed in Part IV of the Gazette of India, and you download the PDF.
An affidavit is a short legal statement on non-judicial stamp paper. It lists your old name, new name, address, father's or husband's name, and the reason for the change. You sign it in front of a notary. The stamp paper value is small, usually Rs 10 to Rs 100 in Bihar.
You announce the name change in two newspapers, one Hindi and one English. For Hindi you can use Hindustan, Dainik Jagran or Prabhat Khabar. For English you can use The Times of India or Hindustan Times. The notice should carry your old name, new name, address, father's or husband's name, and the affidavit date. Keep the full newspaper pages, not just the cut-out advert.
For the Central Gazette, the file goes to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi-110054. It includes the affidavit, the newspaper pages, a typed proforma with two witnesses, a soft copy on CD in MS Word, two passport photos, ID proof, and the BharatKosh fee receipt. Your notice is printed in Part IV of the Gazette of India, published every Saturday. You then download the PDF from egazette.gov.in.
A fuller walkthrough of the name change and correction procedure in Bihar, including the gazette office and the documents you need.
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 |
|---|---|
| "Send your application along with a DD 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. |
| "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. |
| "The Gazette of India is published by the Ministry of Home Affairs" | The Gazette of India is printed by the Department of Publication, which works under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, from Civil Lines, Delhi-110054. The Ministry of Home Affairs only issues the deed format for central government employees. |
| "Submit your name change file to the Printing and Stationery wing of the Government of Bihar" | Bihar's own e-gazette is run by the Finance Department on egazette.bihar.gov.in. Personal name change files for the Central Gazette go to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi-110054, not to a Bihar state wing. |
| "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 adult fee. A minor's case costs Rs 1,700, each extra alias name adds Rs 250, and applicants living abroad pay Rs 3,500. |
| "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 Bihar, not the gazette. |
Keep these ready. Missing or mismatched papers are the top reason files get held up.
| Document | Needed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Notarised name change affidavit (original) | Yes | Base document for the file |
| Old name ID proof | Yes | Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID or passport |
| Address proof (Bihar) | Yes | Shows your Bihar address |
| Two passport-size photos | Yes | Self-attested |
| Full copies of both newspaper ads | Yes | Complete original pages |
| Typed proforma with two witnesses | Yes | Signed by you and witnesses |
| Soft copy on CD (MS Word) | Yes | Without the witness column |
| BharatKosh fee receipt | Yes | Proof of the government fee |
| Marriage certificate | If applicable | For a surname change after marriage |
| Divorce papers | If applicable | For restoring your maiden name |
| Birth certificate | If applicable | For a minor's name change |
| Deed as per rules | If applicable | For government employees |
If you are from Bihar but living abroad, your deed must be attested by the Indian Embassy or High Commission of that country.
Two costs sit inside a name change: the government publication fee, and the side costs like stamp paper, notary and newspaper ads that vary.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 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) |
| Central Gazette fee (living abroad) | Higher, check current amount on BharatKosh |
| Bihar State Gazette fee | Roughly Rs 200 to Rs 500 (state schedule) |
| Stamp paper and notary | About Rs 100 to Rs 300 |
| Newspaper ads (two papers) | Varies by paper and city |
Publishing the notice is a real step, not a formality. Use one Hindi paper and one English paper that circulate in your area. Across Bihar, Hindustan, Dainik Jagran and Prabhat Khabar have strong reach.
Keep the complete original pages with the date and newspaper name clearly visible. A cutting where the date cannot be read is treated as invalid.
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 for Bihar residents.
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 gazette and newspaper ads.
Name update at the RTO with the gazette copy.
Update your name across bank accounts and KYC records.
Records for Bihar board (BSEB), CBSE and universities.
Correction through the local Registrar under the RBD Act, not the gazette.
Name change on policies and insurance records.
Updates on ration card and property documents.
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 Bihar, from big cities to smaller towns. Wherever you are, the process runs the same way, and you never have to travel to Delhi.
From Patna, Gaya and Bhagalpur to Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and far districts like Kishanganj and Rohtas, the legal steps are identical, because a name change runs on paperwork, not on which of Bihar's districts you live in. The same Central Gazette file works for the whole state and everywhere in India, and birth certificate corrections stay with your municipal body or local Registrar.
Do not see your town? We still cover it. Call 9540005026 and we will confirm.
Once your name change is published, use the gazette PDF to update your other records. This is the final and often the slowest part, so start early.
| Document | How to update |
|---|---|
| Aadhaar | Update at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra with the gazette as proof |
| PAN | Apply for name correction through NSDL or UTIITSL |
| Passport | Apply for re-issue with the gazette and newspaper ads |
| Driving licence | Visit the RTO with the gazette copy |
| Bank accounts | Visit your branch with the gazette, affidavit and ID |
| Voter ID | Submit Form 8 for correction |
| BSEB & university records | Contact your board or university with the gazette |
| Employer records | Inform HR with the gazette copy |
Keep several printouts of the gazette, because every office will want its own copy. If you would rather not chase each department yourself, we handle these updates for you.
Add your marriage certificate to the file. The affidavit states your maiden name and married name. The three steps stay the same.
You can return to your maiden name through the same process. Keep your divorce papers ready. No separate court order is needed just to restore a maiden name.
The parent or guardian signs the affidavit and the Central Gazette fee is Rs 1,700. The department wants the guardian to send the package directly, so we prepare the full kit and guide you.
A simple spelling case states the wrong and correct spelling in the affidavit. A birth certificate correction, though, goes through the local Registrar under the RBD Act, not the gazette.
The single reason files fail is a spelling gap between the affidavit, the newspaper ad and the ID proof. Pick one exact spelling of your new name, including initials and spacing, and use it on every paper.
Bihar's online portal is cheap, but state-level only. Since any resident can freely apply to the Central Gazette, and it is accepted everywhere, most people are better off choosing it first, so they do not pay twice.
A spelling fix on a birth certificate is not a gazette job. It goes through the local Registrar under the RBD Act. For a CBSE school name change, you may also need a court order along with the gazette.
A Central Gazette notification is treated as final proof by UIDAI, the passport office, banks and universities, so you rarely face follow-up questions.
Since October 2015 the gazette is digital. If you lose your copy, you download it again free, with no office visit.
The whole process runs on paperwork, so a resident of Purnia or Gaya completes it without travelling to Delhi.
Between the affidavit, the newspaper wait and gazette processing, plan for 30 to 45 days for the Central Gazette. It is not instant.
A wrong fee category or a spelling gap can mean a rejection, a fresh payment and a restart. Careful checking up front matters.
Fee payment and download are online, but the Central Gazette file still has to reach the Delhi office by post, courier or in person.
| Mistake | Why it hurts |
|---|---|
| Different spellings across affidavit, ad and ID | Top cause of rejection |
| Picking the State Gazette when the name is needed for a passport or abroad | You may have to redo it through the Central Gazette |
| Wrong stamp paper value | Can make the affidavit invalid |
| Signing the form with the new name instead of the old name | File gets held up |
| Not keeping the full original newspaper pages | You cannot prove the publication |
| Using an affidavit more than six months old | Often not accepted |
| Missing father's or husband's name in the notice | Notice may be treated as incomplete |
| Wrong fee category or amount on the payment portal | Payment rejected or mismatched |
| 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 |
We are based in Delhi, beside the Central Gazette office, so your file is handed in personally and not left to the post.
We handle both newspaper advertisements for you, in the right format.
Everything runs on call, WhatsApp and a short form. You stay home in Bihar.
The gazette plus updating Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID, passport and the rest, with clear pricing and no hidden charges.
How much does the Central Gazette cost for Bihar 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.
Can Bihar residents apply to the Central Gazette? Yes. There is no state restriction. Any Bihar resident can apply to the Central Gazette, and it is the stronger, pan-India valid option.
Does Bihar have its own online gazette portal? Yes, egazette.bihar.gov.in, run by the Finance Department, Government of Bihar. For pan-India work, most people still use the Central Gazette.
Is a birth certificate name change done through the gazette? No. A birth certificate correction goes through the local Registrar under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, not the gazette.
Do I have to go to Delhi for the Central Gazette? No. The file can be sent by post or courier, or submitted through a Delhi-based service. You can complete the whole process from anywhere in Bihar.
We prepare the affidavit, book the Hindi and English newspaper ads, pay the government fee, and file the gazette in Delhi for you, then guide you on updating Aadhaar, PAN and passport. Doorstep service, 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.
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. Add stamp paper, notary and two newspaper ads on top; assistance fees are separate.
Be careful here: most "helpline" numbers on blogs are private agents. Individual name change files go to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi-110054, public dealing 10 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4 PM on working days.
Partly online: BharatKosh payment and the final download from egazette.gov.in happen online, but the complete file is submitted by hand or by post. No portal accepts the full application upload.
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. Bihar State Gazette notifications sit on egazette.bihar.gov.in, run by the Finance Department. Both PDFs are free.
Boards 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: Name Change Service in India (the national hub), How to Change Name Legally in Delhi and Name Change Procedure in Maharashtra. Same verified facts, state-specific routes.
People also search for: Name change agent in Patna, gazette office in Bihar, name change in birth certificate Bihar, surname change after marriage, name change affidavit format, passport name change process, Aadhaar name change online.
The fees, offices and timelines on this page are checked against official Government portals, not copied from other blogs.
Government fees and timelines can be revised from time to time. Always confirm the current figures on the official portals above before you apply.
Changing your name in Bihar comes down to three clean steps: affidavit, newspaper ad, and the gazette notification. Any Bihar resident can apply to the Central Gazette, which is the stronger proof and valid across India, while the online state portal (egazette.bihar.gov.in) suits local use. The Central Gazette fee is Rs 1,100 for adults, and the whole thing takes about 30 to 45 days. Whether you are in Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur or Purnia, you can get your name changed from home, and we update your Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID and passport once it is done. Share your details, and our Delhi team does the standing in line for you.
Three clean steps: affidavit, newspaper ad, and the gazette notification. Any resident can use the Central Gazette, valid across India. Or let our Delhi team do the standing in line for you, wherever you are in Bihar.
