What is the procedure to change the name legally in India ?

Note:  Information mentioned below is only based on my personal experience. I am not a legal advisor, hence it is advisable to consult a legal advisor for all legal procedure.

We require change of name to be done because of certain reasons like marriage, change of religion, passport, difference in the name of the spelling of important government documents etc. In all the situations the norms are generally common. Age factor also matters, if you are over 18 years then you can do it for yourself but if you are minor then your parents can do on your behalf.

Step 1: The very first step is to prepare the court affidavit for Change of Name which can be done at your local district court by any advocate. In the affidavit we should mention the present name and the new desired name with the brief reason for the change required. The affidavit should be on Non Judicial Stamp Paper of Rupees 10 or Rupees 20. Affidavit must be signed by the Magistrate or notary. Generally advocates use standard format for these purposes. (You can find one of such standard format appended below.)

Step 2: The second step is to publish the announcement advertisement in two newspapers, one in  English  newspaper and other one in any regional language newspaper (including Hindi). In certain cases you can publish the ad in one newspaper too, your advocate will advise you for the same.. For the advertisement publication you can go to any advertising agency or directly to the publication as per your convenience. Advertising agency can help you in formatting the advertisement content also. One of the standard format for advertisement is appended below for your reference. If you wish to get the advertisement published easily through an online agency advertisementindia.com is one of the good option.

Step 3: Now finally collect the advertisement published in the newspapers. Attach court affidavit and the other required documents issued by the respective authorities and submit it for the approval.

Format for Court Affidavit:

CHANGE OF NAME AFFIDAVIT

I, _____ S/O  ______ , R/O ______ do hereby declare as below :- 1- That my name ________ is mentioned in all the documents and in other relevant documents etc. 2- That now I have changed my name to  ______ in place of my existing name _____  3- That in future I will be known as ______ in future for all purposes. Deponent Verification:- Verified that the above contents are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. Verified at ______ on ____  Deponent

 

 Format for Newspaper Advertisement for adults over 18 years age:

I ___________ R/o ___________________ have changed my name to ________________ for  all purposes.

 

Format for Newspaper Advertisement for minors below 18 years age:

I __________  S/o ____________  R/o ____________________ have changed my minor son’s (DOB: __/__/____) name ____________ to _________ for all purposes.

 

Matrimonial- The different styles of weddings in India

Marriage is an important event in everyone’s life. In India, the traditional value based marriage system is a symbol of its rich culture. In contrast to the Western culture which is more into nuclear based family system, Indian society still believes in joint family system. Elder members of the family play important role in matrimonial decisions and hence, marriage in India still considered being an affair controlled by the elder members of the family.

Due to prevailing socio-political-economic conditions in ancient India, marriages used to take place at a very tender age and it lead to child marriage. The tenderly aged boys and girls had no idea about marriage and had to abide by the rules controlled by their parents and elders. Marriages were always considered to be between two families and the decision on the alliance rested with the elders of the family. The boys and girls had no choice, but had to accept the decisions about their marriage taken by the elders. Even the neighbours and relatives had huge contribution towards marriage decisions at that point of time.

With the emergence of New & Modern India, the concept of matrimony is changing fast. The family structure is also witnessing a sea change with the emergence of modern India. Women are becoming more empowered and they are more educated as compared to women in the ancient India. Today’s young generation has more aspirations and they are more powerful and authoritative. Due to the emergence of new middle class in India, family structure is becoming more nuclear and family members are also becoming more independent unlike in the past.

Young generation has been more conscious and careful while taking decisions pertaining to their life and events like marriages. Unlike the ancient time, contemporary young generation is more wealthy, educated and ambitious. Their decisions are not controlled by their family members or even parents. While finding out for life partners, they don’t depend on the views from the elders. They want their life partners as per their likings and preference.

Matrimonial Ads in newspapers play an important role for providing a convenient medium for the young generation to find out their preferred life partners. One of the most popular newspaper classified categories today in India is Matrimonial. Every newspaper in the country is publishing Matrimonial Ads and becoming a very convenient tool for connecting life partners. Considering the importance of the matrimonial section most of the newspapers have started exclusive Matrimony sections. For example, The Times of India has ‘Times Matrimonial’, Hindustan Times has ‘HT Matrimonial’, and The Hindu has ‘Hindu Matrimonial.’

With the emergence of the internet, the online Matrimonial sites are providing a nice matrimonial platform primarily in metros and tier 1 cities of India. Online websites provide an interactive platform for prospective brides and grooms to come together and interact. However, since the internet penetration is low in the country, matrimonial ads in newspapers are still most successful.

In case you want to leverage the huge penetration of the newspapers, you can logon to www.advertisementindia.com and book your classified ad now.