There are many reasons why a minor may need to make a legal name change. In this article, we are going to share the full name change procedure for Minors. So read this article fully.

In India, the process of legal name change for minors is slightly different from for adults in terms of documents required. The legal guardian of the minor can also initiate the process of the name change.

Name Change Procedure For Minors In India 1

Reasons to Change Name Of Minor in India

There are numerous reasons which can lead to a need to change the name of a minor. It is crucial to initiate this process if any mistake is encountered to avoid any kind of complexity in future.

The reasons which can lead to a need to initiate the process of name change of a minor are as follows:-

Change of religion
Change of gender
Dissatisfaction with the name
Astrological reasons
Numerological reasons
Wrong entry of the name in the official records
Adoption of child
Spelling mistakes in the name of minor

Also Read:- How to Publish Name Change Ads in Newspapers in India?

Name Change Procedure For Minors In India 2

Documents Required To Change The Name Of Minors In India

The name change procedure for adults and minors varies in terms of documents. This means that the documents required for adults and minors are slightly different.

The same procedure can be carried out for both adults and minors.

The documents required to change the name of minors are listed below:-

ID proof

To prove your identity, you can provide a school ID card or the aadhaar card of a minor.

Residential proof

To provide your residential proof, you can submit an aadhaar card.

Age proof

To give the age proof of the minor birth certificate of the minor needs to be provided.

Photograph

One passport-size photograph

Application form

The application form must be signed by the minor if possible. If the signature is not possible, then the parents or legal guardians of the minor can follow the same.

Name Change Procedure For Minors in India

The legal procedure to change the name of minors in India is the same as the steps involved in changing the name of adults.

Essentially this procedure involves 3 steps that are affidavit submission for the name change of a minor, advertisement in a newspaper, and lastly, giving notification in the gazette.

The procedure for the legal name change of a minor is explained as follows:-

1. Affidavit submission for the name change of minors

The first step to initiate the process of name change involves preparing an affidavit that states the reason for the name change of the minor along with the minor’s old name and a new name. Therefore, the affidavit is a crucial document and has to be prepared systematically with the assistance of a local notary officer.

The affidavit must contain the following details:-

Name, address and age of the minor’s parents.
New name of the minor, old name of the minor, date of birth and place of birth.
A valid reason leading to a need to change the name of the minor.
The appropriate date on which the affidavit has been prepared.
Therefore, it must be duly signed by the parent or the legal guardian, whoever is applying for the name change procedure of the minor.

2. Newspaper advertisement

After preparing the affidavit systematically, the next step you have to follow is to give an advertisement in the newspaper.

In this step, you have to publish an advertisement for a name change in two local newspapers. One advertisement should be made in a regional language, Hindi, and the other advertisement should be given in a national newspaper, English.

While giving the advertisement in the newspaper, you have to add some essential details to make your publication complete:-

The old name of the minor person
The new name of the minor person
Date
Full address of the minor
Age of the minor
The name of the local notary or the officer who attested the affidavit for the name change of the minor.
Minor’s father’s name.

After providing all the details, you must cross-check all the details and ensure whether it’s appropriate or not to prevent any type of mistakes because a small mistake can ruin the entire process of name change. Also, you must keep a few copies of the advertisement that may be required for future reference and can be asked at any time.

3. Gazette notification

After giving an advertisement in the newspaper, the next step involves publishing a name change notification in the Official Gazette of India.

The Gazette notification can be done by writing the application for a name change along with submitting a DD of fee and other important documents, which would be verified by the officer and then would be approved.

Send the following documents to the Department of Publication of the name change:-

An undertaking providing the details of the minor, residential address, and current age of the minor. This should be duly signed by the child’s parents or legal guardian. If the minor resides abroad, then the certificate or the declaration should be submitted and duly attested by the Indian high commission or Indian embassy at the gazette office.
A copy of the proforma and a soft copy must be provided. This duplicate proforma has to be attested by the minors’ parents and two witnesses.
Next, two passport-size photographs of both parent and child have to be provided, which must be self-attested.
Provide photo ID proof of the child.
A declaration must also be provided stating that the details given in the soft copy and hard copy are the same. This declaration needs to be signed by the applicant.
This was the last step involved in the process of the legal name change of a minor. After the Gazette notification has been published, the procedure for the legal name change of a minor will be completed.

Conclusion

In India, the legal procedure for the name change for minors is slightly different as compared to the procedure involved for adults. This procedure varies only in terms of the document required.

The procedure to change the name of a minor consists of three steps which are:- affidavit submission for the name change, newspaper advertisement and Gazette notification for the name change. A person who is unaware of the process can take the help of various agents providing these services to ease the process of the name change and reduce the complexities involved in completing the formalities of the procedure of name change of a minor. The parent or the legal guardian of the child is eligible to initiate the process of legal name change procedure for minors in India.

It is very necessary to change the name of a minor in case of any mistakes because the name offers credentials to a person and also plays an essential role in the admission process of the child in school and other important things.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. How can I change my minor name in India?

Suppose you are a minor residing in India. In that case, you have to follow three essential steps that are filing an affidavit for a name change, giving an advertisement in 2 newspapers- one advertisement should be given in a local newspaper. The other should be given in a national newspaper, and finally, the last step involves notification of name change in the official gazette of India.

Q2. What is the legal age to change a name in India?

Anyone dissatisfied with the name or has mistakes in the name, or has other valid reasons for name change can initiate the process of name change in India. For oneself, the legal age to change the name is 18 years or above. To initiate the process of legal name change procedure in India, a certain process has to be carried out. A person unaware of the process can also take the help of agents to reduce the complexity of the process.

Q3. Do you need a reason to change your name?

Yes, it is necessary to provide a valid reason to change your name. There can be various reasons which can lead to a need to change the name, like dissatisfaction with the name, wrong entry of the name in the official records, adoption of a child, spelling mistakes in the name etc.

Q4. Is changing the name a simple process in India?

Changing the name in India is not as easy as you think because it involves proper consideration and planning. It involves certain formalities that need to be completed within the required time. Appropriate documents need to be submitted to the respective authorities to change the name.

Q5. Is the affidavit and newspaper advertisement enough for the process of name change in India?

We can say that providing an affidavit and giving an advertisement makes the process of name change complete. However, you still have to go through the last step, which is gazette notification, because a gazette notification is mandatory for government employees.

Q6. What is an affidavit for the name change of a minor?

An affidavit is an essential document that has to be prepared with the assistance of a local notary officer who helps you mention the old name, new name and a valid reason leading to name change. The name change affidavit should also contain relevant details about the applicant, like the father’s name or the husband’s name.