Passport Name Change Documents: A passport is a legal document that is issued by the Government of India who wishes to travel abroad for various purposes.

If there are any mistakes in a person’s passport, then they must correct that mistake. If the government finds that a person is holding a passport with wrong information, there might be some serious action taken against them by the government, so everyone needs to have correct information in their passport.

Sometimes, people who rectify the mistakes in their passports don’t know what documents are necessary and how many copies are needed for the documents, so this article will help people to know passport name change documents.

Read More:- Passport Name Change After Marriage

Document Required Passport name change documents.

Different documents should be submitted by the applicant, and they might be slightly different based on a divorcee, widowed, or married. Here is the list of documents required to change of name on the passport.

Common documents that are necessary for everyone to submit for passport name change:

A copy of the old passport
Proof of address and birth in which any legal document verified by the government can be used like AADHAR card or PAN card.

Now, above, you will find the additional documents that will required due to the circumstances of people.

Passport name change documents after marriage

List of required documents for name change in passport after marriage:

A copy of the woman’s husband’s passport.
Self-attested copy of the marriage certificate

Passport name change documents after divorcee

The certificate of divorce
An affidavit on a non-judicial stamp paper should be submitted.

Passport name change documents after re-marriage

Re-marriage can be caused due to the death or divorce of the spouse, so the applicant is required to submit the death or divorce certificate to the authorities.
If the name change is due to the divorcee, then the husband’s passport copy would be needed.
At last, a photocopy of the marriage certificate is required.

Procedure for a passport name change Documents

There are two types of ways people can change their name online and offline:-

Online application to change name in passport

The following steps should be followed for the correct passport name change:

1. First, the applicant should visit the online portal of Passport Seva.

2. The applicant could register themselves on the portal or if they are already registered, then they should log in with their username and password.

3. After logging in the applicant will find a list of options, and from that, they have to select the option of re-issue of passport.

4. After clicking on the above-mentioned option the applicant should select the details they want to change in their passport and fill in all the necessary details.

5. Select the documents the applicant wishes to submit for proof of address and birth.

6. Then, the applicant should appoint a slot whenever they are free.

7. At last, the applicant should scan their documents and download the final receipt of their application.

After all the steps, the applicant should visit the passport office at the appointed date selected by them with all the documents that are needed for the name-changing process.

Offline application to change name in passport

The applicant should follow the below steps to submit an offline application.

1. First, the applicant should form an affidavit in which the old and new name should be mentioned and the reason for the applicant’s name change.

2. Once the above step is performed, the Gazette of India will publish the information about name changes in passport

3. Next, the applicant should write two articles about their name-changing procedure in two different languages, one in a Regional Language and the other in English, and publish both articles in their respective newspapers.

4. At last, the applicant will visit the Passport Kendra to submit their application.

Reasons for Passport name change documents

There can be various reasons for a person to change their name on the passport; some of the reasons can be found below:-

Name change due to some error in the spelling or anything.
Name change due to marriage, divorcee, or death.
There might be reasons for name change related to astrology
Name change can be done if a person changes their religion.

Illustration of Affidavit for name change in passport

I __ son/daughter of residing in ____ holding an Indian passport ___ (number of the passport) issued on ___ (date when the passport was issued) at ____ (the address where the passport was issued), hereby firmly state that

I have changed my name from ____ to ____ (new name) because ___ (reason for name-changing).

My appearance has changed in the past years from ___ (old photo) to ____ (new photo).

My residence also has changed from ___ to ____.

Signature of the applicant:

Name:
Address:

Mobile No:

Email:

The above information should be added to the affidavit, and there are three changes that an applicant requests to make in their passport.

So we hope from the above article the applicant is clear about passport name change documents and knows how they can apply for their name changing process. The important thing that should be kept in the mind of applicants is that name-changing is a crucial process and they shouldn’t act recklessly on it and carefully see every detail and document because if the authorities reject their application, then it might be difficult to do the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the fees charged by the government for the passport name change process?

The name change process depends on the validity and the number of pages available in the passport:-

The cost of a 60-page passport is Rs. 2,000.
A passport that has 36 pages will cost around Rs. 1500.
The name change process through the Tatkal application will cost the applicant Rs. 2000.

2. If a person doesn’t like the photo on their passport, can they change it?

Yes, the applicant changes their photo on the passport. If there is a printing error in the passport then the applicant can use the DS-5504 form to reapply for their passport with zero cost and if the printing is correct and the applicant wishes to change their photo then they should fill out the DS-82 form and pay the asked amount.

3. What are the additional requirements the applicant has to adhere to if their passport has expired for about four years?

If a person has re-apply for their passport and it has been more than three years after the expiry of their passport then the applicant has to undergo the police verification again.

4. How can a passport be said to be damaged?

A passport can be declared damaged if the number can only be seen, the name is slightly readable, and the photo is somewhat intact and the passport that is beyond damaged is when it cannot be recognized at all.

5. Are there different types of passports in India?

Yes, there are different types of passports in India. There are usually three types of passports that are issued in India: First is the Ordinary Passport- This type of passport is issued to the normal public and has a validity of around 10 years and has 60 or 36 pages for adults and for minors the eligibility is given five years. Second is the Diplomatic Passport: A type of passport issued to the government official of India, and the last is the Official Passport: This type of passport is issued to servants of the government who go abroad for the official business of the Government.

6. How long is the waiting period for the name change in the passport?

The re-issue process of the passport can take up to 3 to 4 weeks and sometimes get delayed because of the delicacy of the change.

7. What benefits do older people get by issuing passports?

In 2017 the government took out a policy for senior citizens that they would get a 10% discount if they apply for the issue of a passport.