How to Change Name Legally in Shimla
There is a Government of India Press in this city, one of only six the Directorate of Printing calls major presses. It is here because the Government of India spent the better part of every year in Shimla from 1864 until independence. So the assumption that you can hand your name change file in there is entirely reasonable. It is also wrong, and this guide explains why, and where the file really goes.
Make a notarised affidavit, publish the change in two newspapers, one Hindi and one English, then send the prescribed file to the Department of Publication at Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, with the fee paid through BharatKosh. Your notification appears in Part IV of the Gazette of India in about 30 to 45 days, and you download it yourself. The whole thing runs by post, so nothing requires a journey down the hill.
What does changing your name legally in Shimla involve?
A Gazette notification is a formal announcement of your name change printed in the official journal of a Government. Once it carries a date and an entry number, passport offices, UIDAI, banks, boards, employers and foreign missions treat it as the legal record of your new name. No court order is involved at any point.
Himachal Pradesh has no citizen counter for personal name changes, so residents here use the Central route. That is not a disadvantage. Applications are accepted by post or courier, so a file from Reckong Peo travels the same road as a file from the Mall.
The one thing worth clearing up before anything else is the press on the hillside, because it produces a very reasonable wrong turn that costs people a day.
At a glance
- Which route
- The Central Gazette, Part IV of the Gazette of India, filed with the Department of Publication in Delhi
- Is there a state route
- No citizen-facing one. The Himachal Pradesh state gazette carries Government business
- The press in Shimla
- A Government of India Press, one of six the Directorate of Printing describes as major presses. It prints; it does not receive or assess applications
- Why it is here
- Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India in 1864 by Sir John Lawrence, and the Government physically moved here for most of every year
- Where the file goes
- Department of Publication, Civil Lines, behind Delhi Vidhan Sabha Metro Station, Delhi 110054, by post or courier
- Newspaper language
- Hindi and English, and here the widely copied advice is genuinely correct
- Government fee
- Commonly Rs 1,100 adult, Rs 1,700 minor, Rs 3,500 adult from abroad, on BharatKosh only, revised each financial year
- Payment method
- BharatKosh only. Demand drafts are not accepted and the fee is non-refundable
- Simla or Shimla
- Simla was the official spelling until 1972. Both forms are valid in old papers and neither needs correcting
- Winter
- Snow and landslides affect road links and therefore the post. Add a margin, particularly for the higher districts
- Birth certificate error
- A Registrar correction under Section 15 of the RBD Act, 1969, through the Municipal Corporation of Shimla or the body that registered it
Key takeaways
- Himachal Pradesh has no citizen counter for personal name changes, and the Government of India Press at Shimla is a printing establishment, not an application office.
- Your file goes to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, and publishes in Part IV of the Gazette of India.
- The Government fee is commonly Rs 1,100 adult, Rs 1,700 minor and Rs 3,500 from abroad, paid only through bharatkosh.gov.in and revised each financial year. Demand drafts are not accepted.
- The extra Rs 250 is not a per alias charge. It applies only where an adult adopts a name of another religion without changing religion.
- Newspaper notices go in Hindi and English, and here that is genuinely correct. Himachal is one of the few states where the standard copied advice actually fits.
- The whole process runs by post and works the same from Kinnaur or Lahaul as from the Mall Road.
- Simla was the official spelling until 1972, so older family documents may carry either form. Both are valid and neither needs correcting.
- Plan 3 to 7 weeks, and rather more if snow or landslides are likely to affect the post.
- Documents once submitted are not returned, and supporting papers should be less than one year old.
- A birth certificate mistake is a Registrar correction under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, not a gazette matter.
Why is there a Government of India Press on a hillside?
This is worth understanding, because it explains a confusion that is entirely reasonable to have.
In 1864 Sir John Lawrence declared Simla the summer capital of British India. That was not a ceremonial designation. The Government of India physically moved here every year with the Viceroy and stayed for the better part of it, descending to Calcutta and later New Delhi only for the winter months.
A government that spends most of the year somewhere needs to be able to print there. Files, forms, orders, notifications and the ordinary paper of administration all had to be produced on the spot. So a Government of India Press was established here.
So why can you not hand your file in there?
Because a press prints. It does not receive citizens' applications, it does not assess them, and it does not decide what gets published. Those are functions of the Department of Publication, which sits at Civil Lines in Delhi under the Controller of Publications, and that is where your file has to go.
What a press does
Produces the printed product. Composing, printing, binding and supply. It works to what it is sent by the publishing authority. It has no counter for the public on this subject.
What the Department of Publication does
Receives applications, checks them against the prescribed requirements, decides what is published, and issues the Gazette. This is the office that takes your file.
There is a wider lesson in that
Almost every mistake people make with a name change comes from assuming that a nearby office must be the right office. In Lucknow people go looking for the state press. In Thane they go looking for a gazette office that does not exist at all.
Why do some of my documents say Simla and others say Shimla?
A small point that saves a good deal of confusion, and it has nothing to do with you.
Simla was the official spelling until 1972, when it became Shimla. The place did not change. The way it was written did.
So a household here can hold a school certificate saying Simla and everything since saying Shimla, and both are correct. No office will treat the pair as a discrepancy, and there is nothing to reconcile.
It is not given to people
If your own name appears two ways across two documents, a verification system does not read it as one person written two ways. It reads two people, and it stops. An employer's background check flags it. A passport office returns the file. A bank freezes a transfer.
Where does a Shimla name change file actually go?
Himachal Pradesh does not run a citizen-facing route for personal name changes. The state gazette carries Government business. So residents use the Central Gazette, and the file goes to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, publishing in Part IV of the Gazette of India, which is valid across the country and recognised abroad.
Applications are entertained from the applicant personally or by post or courier only. The Department's own guidelines name no other channel, agents and advocates included. So posting is the normal method and it carries no disadvantage at all. From Shimla the file reaches Delhi in two to three days.
| Question | Central Gazette | Himachal Pradesh state gazette |
|---|---|---|
| Takes personal name changes | Yes, in Part IV | No citizen counter for this |
| Where you send it | Civil Lines, Delhi 110054 | Not applicable for this purpose |
| Accepted for a passport | Yes, everywhere and abroad | Not applicable |
| How you file | Personally, or by post or courier | Not applicable |
| Fee | Commonly Rs 1,100 adult, on BharatKosh | Not applicable |
One claim you should disregard entirely
A widely shared page describes the Central Gazette office as being located in North Himachal Pradesh, and gives an address ending in the pincode 110054, which is a Delhi pincode, with a private mobile number attached to it.
What people find when they search for a gazette office in Himachal Pradesh
This is the question that brings most readers to this page, and the answer is short: there is no Government gazette counter in this state for a personal name change. What circulates instead is a copied address with a Delhi pincode attached to a Himachal place name, and a mobile number that belongs to nobody in Government.
The walkthrough below covers exactly that, the gazette office question and the address people are given. Watch it against one test: can the office named be found on a Government website. The Department of Publication can, at deptpub.gov.in. Nothing in Himachal can, because nothing is there.
Gazette Office in Himachal Pradesh, and the Address People Are Given हिमाचल प्रदेश में गजट ऑफिस का पता
Which language should the newspaper notice be in?
For once, the copied advice happens to be right.
Across most of this country, templated guides do real damage by telling readers to publish in the regional language, Hindi, when the state's language is Punjabi, Nepali, Assamese, Khasi, Manipuri or something else entirely. We have had to correct that on page after page in this series.
Two practical notes for this state
Check the edition, not the masthead
A Shimla edition may not circulate in Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba or Sirmaur. Ask the agent which districts the edition you are booking actually reaches, and choose the one that covers where you live.
Keep the complete original page
Not a cutting, with the date clearly visible, for each of the two newspapers. This is the single commonest reason a file comes back, and from a hill district a returned file is a fortnight each way.
Step by step name change procedure in Shimla
Five steps, and none of them requires you to leave the state.
Settle the exact name, then notarise the affidavit
Decide the exact spelling, spacing and treatment of any middle name or initial before anything is drafted, because every later document copies from the affidavit. Then get one drafted on stamp paper stating your old name, your new name, your father's or husband's name, your full address and a clear reason for the change, and sign it before a notary. Stamp paper and notary together usually cost Rs 100 to Rs 500.
Publish in Hindi and English
Publish the same notice in two dailies circulating where you live, one Hindi and one English, worded exactly as the affidavit reads and carrying your old name, new name, full address, age, parentage and the affidavit date. Ask the agent to give or post you the complete original pages. From a district, check the edition reaches your area before booking.
Prepare the file
The original newspaper pages, the notice for Part IV showing parentage and residential address forwarded in original, a signed undertaking, two copies of the prescribed proforma computer typed and not handwritten with two witnesses' details, the print matter without the witness portion in MS Word, a certificate signed by you that hard and soft copies match, self-attested identity proof of applicant and each witness, two photographs, and a request letter to the Controller of Publications.
Pay through BharatKosh only
Pay only through bharatkosh.gov.in, commonly Rs 1,100 for an adult, Rs 1,700 for a minor and Rs 3,500 for an adult applying from abroad, with Rs 250 added only in the specific case of an adult adopting a name of another religion without changing religion. Revised each financial year, so confirm on deptpub.gov.in first. The fee is not refundable and no demand draft is involved.
Send and download
Send the complete file by post or courier to Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. Publication follows in Part IV about 30 to 45 days later. Hard copies ceased on 1 October 2015, so you open the relevant issue on egazette.gov.in, use Control and F to find your old or new name, and download the whole gazette as your own copy. It needs no certification, and nobody should charge you to fetch a public record.
Plan one trip, not two
If you are coming in from a district, make a single journey cover the affidavit, the typing and printing of the proforma, and both newspaper bookings. In this state a second journey is measured in hours rather than minutes, and in winter it may not be possible at all. Ask the newspaper agent to post you the original pages rather than holding them for collection.
Would it help to watch the process once first?
The five steps above are the whole filing, but the order sits better once you have seen somebody move through it. This walkthrough covers making the gazette notification itself, from the affidavit through to the published entry.
One thing to watch for while you do. Check any fee quoted against what deptpub.gov.in publishes today, because the Government revises it each financial year and a video recorded earlier may not match.
How to Make a Gazette Notification in Himachal Pradesh हिमाचल प्रदेश में गजट नोटिफिकेशन कैसे बनाएं
What documents are required for a name change in Shimla?
What goes in the file
- Notarised name change affidavit stating old name, new name, parentage and address
- Complete original newspaper pages of both notices, one Hindi and one English, dates visible
- Notice for the Gazette of India Part IV, showing parentage and residential address, forwarded in original
- Signed undertaking with old and new name, full parentage and address, declaring the facts are true
- Prescribed proforma in two copies, computer typed and not handwritten, signed and attested, with two witnesses' details
- Print matter without the witness portion, in MS Word, as a soft copy
- Certificate signed by you that hard copy and soft copy contents are the same
- Self-attested identity proof of the applicant and of each witness
- Two passport size photographs
- Request letter to the Controller of Publications, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054
- Marriage certificate or the child's birth certificate, where the case calls for it
- For an applicant abroad, the deed attested by the Indian Embassy or Consulate
What you do not need
- A lawyer. This is paperwork, not litigation, and no court is involved
- A court order of any kind for an ordinary name change
- A demand draft. Payment is through BharatKosh only
- A digital CD. The soft copy is an MS Word file
- A trip to Delhi, to Shimla, or to the Government of India Press here
- Any personal appearance by a child, whatever a copied page says about bringing a minor to a Government office
- A domicile or bonafide certificate. It has no bearing on a Central Gazette name change
And a point on witnesses
Two witnesses belong on the proforma, with their identity proofs enclosed. You swear the affidavit alone before a notary. Several pages in this niche confuse the two and send people back for nothing, which from a hill district is a wasted day.
What does a name change cost in Shimla?
Four real costs, and the district you live in changes almost none of it.
| Expense | Typical amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp paper and notary | Rs 100 to Rs 500 | Add travel if you are coming in from a district |
| Two newspaper notices | Rs 800 to Rs 4,000 | One Hindi and one English. Check the edition reaches your area |
| Central Gazette, adult | Commonly Rs 1,100 | BharatKosh only, revised each financial year |
| Central Gazette, minor | Commonly Rs 1,700 | BharatKosh only, parent or guardian applies |
| Central Gazette, adult from abroad | Commonly Rs 3,500 | Plus embassy attestation and courier, budgeted separately |
| Speed post to Delhi | Rs 50 to Rs 200 | Two to three days each way in normal weather |
| Realistic self-done total | Rs 2,000 to Rs 6,000 | All stages included, excluding any service fee |
Is there Rs 250 extra for every additional name?
No, and this is a common error. One widely circulated draft says the Department charges Rs 250 per alias name. It does not. The Rs 250 applies in one narrow situation only, where an adult adopts a name of another religion without changing religion. It is not charged per alias, per extra name or per document.
The arithmetic that settles a quote
The Government fee alone is commonly Rs 1,100, so a Rs 999 all-inclusive package cannot include it. Before paying any service, ask whether the Government fee is included, what happens if the file is returned, and where exactly the file is submitted. If they name an office in Himachal, they have not done this before.
How long does a name change take in Shimla?
Affidavit and notary
Usually the same day, plus travel from a district
Newspaper publication
2 to 7 days, depending on the booking schedule
File and speed post
1 to 3 days to prepare, 2 to 3 days each way
Gazette publication
30 to 45 days after the file reaches Delhi
So plan for 3 to 7 weeks end to end. The publication stage is the same for everyone, wherever the file was posted from.
Should I worry about winter?
Plan around it rather than worry about it. Snow and landslides affect road links and therefore the post, particularly to and from the higher districts, and nothing about the gazette timeline can be accelerated to make up for it. If an admission, an examination form or a joining date depends on this, start in advance rather than in the season when the road may be closed.
Is there a tatkal or urgent option?
No. There is no expedited option on any route, and no fee head exists for one, so a promise of faster Government processing for a higher fee describes a company's own turnaround rather than anything the Department offers. If a Board or university correction is also needed, add that body's own timeline afterwards, because it runs separately and decides its own outcome.
Special situations in Shimla and across Himachal Pradesh
Applying from the higher districts
From Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Sirmaur or the interior of Kullu and Mandi, nothing in this process requires you to reach Shimla or Delhi, but the local steps are worth bundling. Make one trip to your district or tehsil headquarters cover the affidavit, the typing and printing, and both newspaper bookings, and ask the agent to post you the original pages. Then send the file once and send it complete, because a returned file over these distances costs a fortnight each way, and considerably more if the season is against you.
Government servants and pensioners
Himachal has a high proportion of Government service households, and this matters more here than the paperwork. Central Government employees follow Ministry of Home Affairs O.M. No. 190016/1/87-Estt.(A) dated 12 March 1987: a deed executed and routed through the department, so the service book is updated alongside the gazette. State Government employees should inform their own department too. Doing the gazette quietly and leaving the service record unchanged creates a mismatch that surfaces at promotion or pension stage, when it is far harder to fix than it would have been at the time.
Board, university and examination records
The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education and the universities each run their own correction process and decide their own outcome. A gazette notification supports the application rather than replacing it. Complete the gazette first, then apply with it attached, and note that most such applications can be made by post. For competitive examinations, update Aadhaar and PAN before submitting any form in the new name, so the documents you attach already agree.
Working outside the state
A mismatch is often discovered at an employer's verification or a passport counter elsewhere rather than at home. The Central Gazette is valid in every state, so file from wherever you live using your current address, or have family here send the file, provided the papers carry your signature. There is no requirement to file from your home district.
Name change after marriage
The same three stages apply, with the marriage certificate attached. Publish in the same Hindi and English pairing. If you keep using your existing name and nothing on paper changes, you do not need a gazette at all, and nobody should sell you one.
Minors
A parent or legal guardian applies on the child's behalf, swearing the affidavit and attaching the child's birth certificate. The minor fee applies, commonly Rs 1,700 with the usual revision caveat, and both parents signing avoids objections later. School admission is the usual trigger, so allow the full timeline plus a winter margin. No personal appearance by the child is required anywhere.
Applying from abroad
Indians abroad follow the same route with the deed attested by the Indian Embassy or High Commission, and the fee is commonly Rs 3,500 for an adult and Rs 5,100 for a minor. Family in Himachal can send the file provided the papers carry your signature. Budget attestation and courier separately, and allow extra postal time both ways.
Land and revenue records
Once the gazette is published, the entry at the tehsil should be updated along with everything else. In a state where a great deal of family property sits in revenue records rather than in registered deeds, a name that does not match across the record and the identity documents causes trouble at partition, mutation or sale. It is far easier to update it while you are updating everything else.
Areas we serve across Shimla and Himachal Pradesh
Documentadvisor supports name change applicants across the city and every district of the state.
Does your district change anything?
Only the postal time, and a winter margin. The whole process runs by post, so there is no counter to reach in Shimla and no advantage to living in the capital. A notary, a newspaper booking and a post office are the only three places involved, and every one exists in every district. What does change is which newspaper edition genuinely reaches you, which is why the choice is made by circulation rather than by masthead.
Call 9540005002, WhatsApp 9540005064, or write to support@documentadvisor.in, Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM.
What do the name change terms actually mean?
The words that appear on every name change website, in language people actually use.
- Gazette notification
- A formal announcement printed in the official journal of a Government. For a name change it is what Aadhaar, PAN, passport offices, banks, boards and employers accept as legal proof. It is not a court order and needs no lawyer.
- Gazette of India
- The Central Government's official journal, published by the Department of Publication. A notification here is valid in every state and recognised abroad, which is the route a Shimla applicant uses because Himachal Pradesh runs no citizen counter for this.
- Part IV
- The section of the Gazette of India carrying notices from private people rather than from Government. Part IV belongs to the Central Gazette only. A state gazette has its own numbering.
- Department of Publication
- The Central Gazette office, at Civil Lines, behind Delhi Vidhan Sabha Metro Station, Delhi 110054, a subordinate office of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. There is exactly one, and it is not in Himachal Pradesh.
- Directorate of Printing
- The Central body that runs the Government of India Presses, including the one at Shimla. It prints what it is sent. It does not receive or assess citizens' applications, which is a separate function of the Department of Publication.
- Government of India Press
- A Central printing establishment. Kolkata, New Delhi, Shimla, Nashik, Ring Road and Coimbatore are generally described as the major presses. A press produces printed matter; it has no counter for name change applications.
- Controller of Publications
- The officer heading the Department of Publication, to whom your request letter is addressed. This officer sits in Delhi, so a demand draft payable to a Controller of Publications in Shimla is payable to nobody.
- Summer capital
- The designation given to Simla in 1864 by Sir John Lawrence, under which the Government of India physically relocated here for the better part of each year until independence. It is why a Central press exists on a hillside.
- Proforma
- The prescribed Central application format, which must be computer typed and not handwritten, submitted in duplicate, signed and attested, with two witnesses whose identity proofs are enclosed.
- Affidavit
- A written statement you swear is true, signed before a notary. You swear it yourself. Witnesses belong on the proforma, not on the affidavit.
- BharatKosh
- The Non-Tax Receipt Portal at bharatkosh.gov.in, the only accepted channel for the Central gazette fee. Demand drafts were discontinued and the fee is not refundable.
- e-Gazette
- The portal at egazette.gov.in where published issues are available free. Hard copies ceased on 1 October 2015, so you open the relevant issue, use Control and F to find your name, and download it yourself.
- Registrar correction
- A correction to a birth or death record under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, through the body that registered it, which within the city is the Municipal Corporation of Shimla. Not a gazette matter.
- Deed of change of name
- The instrument a Central Government employee executes and routes through the department under the 1987 Home Ministry office memorandum, so that the service book is updated alongside the gazette rather than afterwards.
After the gazette: update in the right order
The notification is the middle of the journey. Each office asks for the one before it.
| Order | Record | How it is done |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aadhaar | At an enrolment centre with the gazette PDF and identity proof. So many systems read from Aadhaar that changing anything else first creates a mismatch |
| 2 | PAN card | Correction application, so the two stay linked and keep agreeing |
| 3 | Bank accounts | Branch request with the gazette. Doing this before Aadhaar and PAN agree creates a mismatch that is slow to unpick |
| 4 | Passport | A re-issue with the change of name, checking how the given name and surname fields are filled |
| 5 | Voter ID and driving licence | Both accept the gazette. The licence goes through the office that issued it |
| 6 | EPFO or UAN, insurance policies and service records | Employer-linked records, which for a Government household is the one that matters most |
| 7 | Board, university and employer records | Each runs its own correction process and decides its own outcome. Most can be applied for by post |
| 8 | Land and revenue records at the tehsil, and property and business records | With the gazette as supporting proof, before any partition, mutation or sale arises |
Which record should you update first, and why does the order matter?
Aadhaar first, because so many other systems read from it. If PAN or a bank record is changed while Aadhaar still carries the old name, the two stop agreeing and the mismatch has to be unpicked before either will accept the other. The gazette itself never expires, so nothing justifies going out of order.
What does the first update actually involve?
Aadhaar is the one everything else waits on, and it is also the one people most often get turned away from for bringing the wrong proof. Take the gazette PDF and an existing identity document to an enrolment centre, and do it before touching PAN or the bank.
Is a birth certificate mistake a gazette matter?
Usually not. If the mistake is in a birth certificate, the fix is a Registrar correction under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, through the body that registered the birth, which within the city is the Municipal Corporation of Shimla, or the relevant nagar parishad or panchayat elsewhere in the state. The national framework is at crsorgi.gov.in.
Common mistakes in Shimla
Every one of these is something we have had to unpick for somebody.
Assuming the Government of India Press here can accept the application
It prints. It does not publish or assess. The most understandable wrong turn in this city, and it costs a day.
Following a page that places the gazette office in North Himachal Pradesh
With a Delhi pincode and a private mobile number attached. The same fabrication has been printed for at least seven other states.
Booking a Shimla edition that does not circulate in your district
Choose by circulation where you live, not by masthead. A capital edition may not reach Kinnaur or Lahaul-Spiti at all.
Notice wording that does not match the affidavit
Even by one letter or space. The gazette publishes what you declare, and a mismatch sends the file back.
Submitting a cutting instead of the complete page
The complete original printed page is required, with the date visible. Buy two copies on the day and keep one at home.
Starting in the season when snow may delay the post both ways
Nothing in the gazette timeline can be accelerated to make up for it. Start ahead of the deadline, not against it.
Arranging a demand draft
Payment is BharatKosh only. A draft payable to a Controller of Publications in Shimla is payable to nobody.
Trying to reconcile an older Simla reference with a newer Shimla one
Both are correct and neither needs changing. The official spelling changed in 1972 and no office treats the pair as a discrepancy.
Believing the Rs 250 is per extra name
It is not. That amount applies only where an adult adopts a name of another religion without changing religion.
Doing the gazette without routing the deed through the department
For a Government servant that stores up a mismatch which surfaces at promotion or pension stage, when it is far harder to fix.
Doing it yourself, or taking professional help
This is paperwork rather than law, no lawyer is required, and the entire process runs by post from anywhere in the state. If you have the patience to get the proforma right and the soft copy matching, this guide has the sequence and you can run it yourself.
What is worth paying for here
The file check and the distance. On the Central route one mismatch between the affidavit, the notices and the proforma means the file comes back after weeks with a non-refundable fee gone, and from a hill district that is a fortnight each way before you can even start again, longer if the season is against you.
The second is the service record question, because a Government employee who does the gazette without routing the deed through their department stores up a problem for pension stage.
What a service can and cannot do
Since the Department accepts applications only from the applicant directly, or by post or courier, an honest service prepares and checks your file while you sign and send it. Nobody can lawfully hand it in on your behalf, whatever they charge.
And an honest service tells you plainly when a gazette is not the right instrument, or when a Registrar correction would have been the whole answer. That is exactly how Documentadvisor works.
Your Trust and Security First
Your documents stay private
Papers are handled by our own desk in Burari, Delhi, used for your file and nothing else.
We settle the exact name first
Spelling, spacing, middle name and initials, decided before anything is drafted, because every later document copies from the affidavit.
We book editions that reach you
Chosen by what genuinely circulates in your own district, not a Shimla edition that never arrives in Kinnaur.
We work from the offices' own pages
The Department of Publication's guidelines and the Directorate of Printing's own records, rather than from other people's blogs.
We check the file before it leaves
Proforma typed and in duplicate, soft copy matching the hard copy, documents inside the one year rule, nothing irreplaceable in the envelope.
We tell you when a route is not real
There is no gazette counter in Himachal Pradesh, and no office in the north of the state. We say so rather than repeating what circulates.
Everything You Need, In One Place
Documentadvisor is a documentation desk. These are the services we run for applicants across Himachal Pradesh.
Name change and gazette
Settling the exact written form, drafting the affidavit, wording and booking both newspaper notices, and preparing and checking the Central Gazette Part IV file before it travels down.
Government service deeds
The deed of change of name routed through the department under the 1987 Home Ministry memorandum, so the service book and the gazette agree from the start.
Board and university corrections
Preparing the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education or university application to go in with the notification attached, as soon as the gazette publishes.
Affidavits and undertakings
Name change, address, date of birth declarations, single status and general purpose affidavits, drafted correctly the first time.
Birth and death certificate work
Registrar corrections under Section 15 through the Municipal Corporation of Shimla, nagar parishad or panchayat that registered the record.
Aadhaar, PAN and record updates
The update sequence after publication, in the order that keeps every record agreeing with the one before it, including the tehsil entry.
How It Works
Book
Call or WhatsApp us with photographs of the documents you hold and the district you are in. We read every version of your name on them.
Schedule
We tell you which written form should stand, which newspaper editions actually reach your area, and exactly what the Government fee will be.
Relax
We draft, book the notices and check the file. You sign and post it, because the rules allow nobody else to.
The questions Shimla applicants search for most
Is there a Government of India Press in Shimla?
Yes. It is one of only six presses the Directorate of Printing describes as major presses, alongside Kolkata, New Delhi, Nashik, Ring Road and Coimbatore. It is here because the Government of India spent the better part of each year in this city from 1864 until independence.
Can I submit my name change application there?
No. A press prints; it does not receive or assess citizens' applications. Those go to the Department of Publication at Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. Printing and publishing are separate functions performed by separate offices.
Is there a gazette office in Himachal Pradesh for name changes?
No. A widely shared page places one in North Himachal Pradesh with a Delhi pincode and a private mobile number. The same publisher has printed the same arrangement for at least seven other states.
Which language should the newspaper notice be in?
One Hindi and one English daily. Himachal Pradesh is one of the few states where the widely copied advice about publishing in Hindi is simply correct.
My old certificate says Simla and my new documents say Shimla. Do I need to fix that?
No. Simla was the official spelling until 1972 and both forms are valid. Nothing needs reconciling, and no office treats the pair as a discrepancy.
Do I have to travel to Delhi?
No. Applications are accepted from the applicant personally or by post or courier, and speed post takes two to three days each way from Shimla in normal conditions.
Book your name change
Talk to the desk
Phone: 9540005002
WhatsApp: 9540005064
Email: support@documentadvisor.in
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM
Office: Near Hanuman Mandir, Metro Pillar No. 376, Near Burari Metro Station, Shop No. 2nd Ground Floor, Gali No. 1, Plot No. 31/12, Hardev Nagar, Jharoda Majra, Burari, Delhi 110084
Frequently asked questions on changing your name in Shimla
Is there a Government of India Press in Shimla?
Yes. It is one of only six presses the Directorate of Printing describes as major presses, alongside Kolkata, New Delhi, Nashik, Ring Road and Coimbatore. It is here because the Government of India spent the better part of each year in this city from 1864 until independence, and a government that sits somewhere for most of the year needs to be able to print there.
Can I submit my name change application at the press?
No. A press prints; it does not receive or assess citizens' applications. Printing and publishing are separate functions. The Department of Publication at Civil Lines, Delhi receives and assesses applications and decides what is published; a press produces the printed product.
Where exactly does my file go?
The Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, by post or courier. It publishes in Part IV of the Gazette of India, which is valid across the country and recognised abroad.
Do I have to travel to Delhi?
No. Applications are accepted from the applicant personally or by post or courier only, and speed post takes two to three days each way from Shimla in normal conditions. Posting carries no disadvantage of any kind.
A page says the gazette office is in North Himachal Pradesh. Is that real?
No. The address given carries a Delhi pincode and a private mobile number, and the same publisher has printed equivalent fabrications for several other states, changing only the place name. There is one Department of Publication and it is at Civil Lines, Delhi 110054.
Which newspapers should I use?
One Hindi and one English daily. Check with the agent which districts the edition actually reaches, because a Shimla edition may not circulate in Kinnaur or Lahaul-Spiti. Himachal is one of the few states where the widely copied advice about Hindi is genuinely correct.
How do I pay the fee?
Only through bharatkosh.gov.in. Demand drafts are not accepted and the fee is non-refundable. A draft payable to a Controller of Publications in Shimla is payable to nobody, because that officer sits only in Delhi.
Will I get a printed gazette by post?
No. Hard copies ceased on 1 October 2015. You download the PDF free from egazette.gov.in, using Control and F to find your name in the relevant issue, and it needs no certification. Nobody should charge you to fetch a public record.
Can I pay extra to publish faster?
No. There is no expedited service on any route and no fee head exists for one, and nothing can be accelerated to make up for a postal delay. A promise of faster Government processing for a higher fee describes a company's own turnaround.
Should I worry about winter?
Plan around it. Snow and landslides affect road links and therefore the post, particularly to and from the higher districts. Start earlier rather than relying on a tight timeline, especially if an admission, an examination form or a joining date depends on it.
My old certificate says Simla and my new documents say Shimla. Do I need to fix that?
No. Simla was the official spelling until 1972 and both forms are valid. No office treats the pair as a discrepancy and there is nothing to reconcile. That latitude is given to places; it is not given to a person's own name written two ways, which is what a gazette settles.
I am a Government employee. Is there anything extra?
Yes, and it matters. Central Government employees follow MHA O.M. No. 190016/1/87-Estt.(A) dated 12 March 1987, executing a deed routed through the department so the service book is updated alongside the gazette. State employees should inform their department too. A mismatch surfaces at promotion or pension stage.
Can a gazette alone correct my board certificate?
No. The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education runs its own correction process and decides the outcome, as do the universities. The gazette supports the application rather than replacing it, and it can usually be made by post.
My birth certificate has a clerical error. Do I need a gazette?
Probably not. That is a Registrar correction under Section 15 of the RBD Act, 1969, through the Municipal Corporation of Shimla or whichever nagar parishad or panchayat registered the birth. For a plain clerical error that is usually the whole answer and the cheapest one.
Can I change my name after marriage without a court order?
Yes. A simple name change needs the affidavit, newspaper and gazette stages only. No court is involved and no lawyer is required. If you keep using your existing name and nothing on paper changes, you do not need a gazette at all.
How do I change my minor child's name?
A parent or legal guardian applies with a parent-sworn affidavit and the child's birth certificate. The minor fee, commonly Rs 1,700, applies with the usual revision caveat, and both parents signing avoids objections later. No personal appearance by the child is required anywhere.
I work outside the state. Can I still fix my Himachal records?
Yes. The Central Gazette is valid everywhere, so file from where you live using your current address, or have family here send the file if the papers carry your signature. There is no requirement to file from your home district.
Can an agent submit my file for me?
No. The Department's guidelines say an application either submitted personally or sent by post or courier only will be entertained, and name no other channel including agents and advocates. A service can prepare and check your file, which is real work, but you sign and send it.
Will my documents be returned?
No. Documents once submitted are not returned, neither originals nor photocopies, so never send an original you would find hard to obtain again. From a hill district, replacing a certificate is a considerably longer errand than it sounds.
How old can my documents be?
Keep everything recent. The Department expects supporting documents that are not older than one year, so a perfectly valid four year old address proof will fail that test and send the file back.
Are the Rs 999 offers real?
The Government fee alone is commonly Rs 1,100, so a Rs 999 all-inclusive package cannot include it. Ask whether the Government fee is included, what happens if the file is returned, and where exactly the file is submitted. If they name an office in Himachal, they have not done this before.
Where can you verify all of this yourself?
Every fact above can be checked at these sources. Please do check them, and type the addresses yourself rather than following a link from any guide, including this one.
- Guidelines for Change of Name, Department of PublicationThe whole Central file in one place: the notice for Part IV, the undertaking, the proforma computer typed in two copies with two witnesses, the print matter in MS Word without the witness portion, the matching contents certificate, the one year rule, the note that documents are not returned, the fee heads, and the sentence that an application either submitted personally or sent by post or courier only will be entertained, no other channel including agents and advocates being permissible.
- Department of Publication, Government of IndiaThe Central Gazette office, at Civil Lines behind Delhi Vidhan Sabha Metro Station, Delhi 110054, under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, headed by the Controller of Publications. There is exactly one such officer, and there is not one in Himachal Pradesh.
- Directorate of Printing, Government of IndiaThe body that runs the Government of India Presses, including the one at Shimla. Its own history document records the six presses generally described as Major Presses, and the note that the Shimla Press was limited owing to the peculiarity of its organisation. Read it to see what a press does, and what it does not do.
- The Gazette of India, e-Gazette portalSearch and download your published Part IV notification free. Hard copies ceased on 1 October 2015. Open the relevant weekly issue and use Control and F to find your name.
- BharatKosh, the Non-Tax Receipt PortalThe only accepted channel for the Central gazette fee. Demand drafts and direct transfers were discontinued, so any page telling you to prepare a draft is describing something that no longer exists.
- Government of Himachal PradeshThe state portal. Useful for finding departments and district administrations, and for confirming for yourself that no citizen-facing gazette counter for personal name changes is offered anywhere in the state.
- Shimla District, National Informatics CentreThe district administration's own website, for local offices, services, tehsils and the courts where notaries practise.
- Civil Registration System, Registrar General of IndiaThe national framework for birth and death registration and for Registrar corrections under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. Read this before anyone tells you a gazette will fix a birth certificate.
- India Code, national repository of lawsThe Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 including Section 15, which is the provision under which a clerical error in a birth record is corrected by the Registrar rather than by a gazette.
- Himachal Pradesh Board of School EducationCertificate correction for school and board records, which the Board decides on its own process and its own timeline. The gazette supports that application rather than replacing it.
- Unique Identification Authority of IndiaAadhaar name update rules and accepted proofs. Normally the first record to change after publication, because so many other updates read from it.
- Passport SevaRe-issue with a change of name, and how the given name and surname fields are filled. Worth reading before you decide the written form, not after.
- Ministry of Housing and Urban AffairsThe parent ministry of the Department of Publication. Not the Ministry of Home Affairs, which several pages in this niche name by mistake.
- Ministry of Home AffairsThe source of Office Memorandum No. 190016/1/87-Estt.(A) dated 12 March 1987, under which a Central Government employee executes a deed through the department so the service book is updated alongside the gazette.
The short version
Everything on this page in ten lines
- Himachal Pradesh has no citizen counter for personal name changes, so the route is the Central Gazette: Part IV, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, by post or courier.
- There genuinely is a Government of India Press in Shimla, one of only six major ones. It prints. It does not publish, it does not assess, and it has no counter for you.
- It is here because Sir John Lawrence declared Simla the summer capital of British India in 1864 and the Government physically moved here for most of every year until independence.
- Government fee commonly Rs 1,100 adult, Rs 1,700 minor, Rs 3,500 from abroad, on BharatKosh only and revised each financial year. Demand drafts are not accepted.
- The Rs 250 extra is a religion case only, where an adult adopts a name of another religion without changing religion. It is not a per alias charge.
- Notices go in one Hindi and one English daily, and here that copied advice is genuinely correct. Check the edition reaches your own district before booking.
- Simla was the official spelling until 1972, so old family papers may carry either form. Both are valid and neither needs correcting.
- The whole process runs by post and works the same from Kinnaur or Lahaul as from the Mall Road. Plan 3 to 7 weeks, and add a margin in winter.
- Government servants should route the deed through their department under the 1987 Home Ministry memorandum, or the mismatch surfaces at promotion or pension stage.
- Nothing submitted is returned, documents must be under a year old, there is no expedited option, and a birth certificate error is a Section 15 Registrar correction through the Municipal Corporation of Shimla.
The press prints. Delhi publishes.
Send us your documents on WhatsApp today. We will settle the exact form of your name, tell you which newspaper editions actually reach your district, and check the file before it makes the journey, so it does not come back. Across Shimla, Solan, Mandi, Kullu, Dharamshala, Una, Hamirpur, Chamba, Nahan, Reckong Peo and every other Himachal district.