Name Change in Aadhaar Card
Six kinds of Aadhaar name correction need no gazette notification at all, and that is a Government instruction rather than our opinion. Two rules decide everything else: a UIDAI circular of 1 April 2019 allows a name update twice, and if you do use a gazette, its address must match your Aadhaar address. The fee has been Rs 75 since 1 October 2025. This page is built on UIDAI's own material, because the rest of the internet disagrees with itself on this one.
How do you change the name on an Aadhaar card?
The written answer sits directly below in about sixty words, and the section after it gives the six corrections that need no gazette at all. If you would rather hear the whole thing explained once in Hindi before reading, start here.
Name Change in Aadhaar Card | How to Change Name in Aadhaar Card आधार कार्ड में नाम कैसे चेंज करें
A name change in Aadhaar card is not an online update. UIDAI's own FAQ says that for minor corrections in your name or a change in name, visit the nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra. Take a document that shows both the name currently on your Aadhaar and the name you want. Six kinds of correction need no gazette, on a Government instruction. A gazette is for a first name or full name change, and its address must match your Aadhaar.
Can you change your name in Aadhaar online?
No, and the Government answers this in one line. Several 2026 guides still say otherwise.
At a glance
- Go in person. UIDAI's FAQ answer is to visit the nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra for a name correction or change.
- Six corrections need no gazette: typographical mistakes, transliteration errors, regional language versions, marriage, divorce or adoption changes, initials, and name sequence.
- A gazette is for a first name or full name change, and then UIDAI wants an old identity proof carrying the name currently on your Aadhaar.
- The gazette address must match the address on your Aadhaar. UIDAI states this and almost nobody repeats it.
- Two name changes in a lifetime, on a UIDAI circular dated 1 April 2019. Date of birth and gender allow one each. Beyond that it is an exception handling process through a UIDAI Regional Office.
- The fee is Rs 75 for a demographic update, revised upward from Rs 50 on 1 October 2025. It is charged per attempt and is not refunded on rejection.
- The one test: does your document show both your current name and the new one? If it shows only one, it cannot do the job.
- Photograph the acknowledgement slip. The Update Request Number on it is what tracks the request and what any grievance needs.
- Your Aadhaar number never changes, whatever you update.
- Do Aadhaar first. PAN, banks and the passport all ask for it, so updating it first makes everything downstream agree.
- India Post alone runs 13,352 enrolment and update centres, and eight UIDAI Regional Offices cover every state and union territory between them.
Key takeaways
- UIDAI publishes an FAQ headed “What changes can I do to my name in Aadhaar?”, and it sits under the myAadhaar online update service section, which is itself the answer to whether this can be done online.
- A second FAQ, “How can I change my first name or full name?”, is where the gazette requirement lives. It is framed around a first or full name change, not around a surname correction.
- A Government eGazette portal instructs applicants not to apply for a notification for six kinds of Aadhaar correction, citing the UIDAI standard operating procedure of 28 October 2021.
- That is a Government source telling people not to buy what most of this market is selling, and it is the most useful thing on this keyword.
- There is a documented rejection within twelve days because a marriage certificate named the applicant only under her maiden name and never showed the new surname.
- Rejections cost the fee and, in practice, the attempt. With only two in a lifetime, that arithmetic is the whole discipline.
- The reason guides disagree about the fee is that it changed. UIDAI revised its charges on 1 October 2025, the first revision in about five years: a demographic update went from Rs 50 to Rs 75 and a biometric update from Rs 100 to Rs 125. Pages still printing Rs 50 are quoting the old rate.
- One saving almost nobody prints: India Post's published fee table shows a demographic update as free when it is done along with a biometric update, and charged Rs 75 on its own.
- Illegible copies are a common and entirely avoidable cause of failure: blurred, cropped, dark or unreadable scans.
- Processing times reported vary widely, from a week or two to thirty or ninety days. Plan for a few weeks and track it.
- For a child, a parent's biometric authentication is used, and the two change limit applies to the child too.
Does an Aadhaar name change happen online or at a centre?
At a centre, and UIDAI answers this in a single line on its own site.
This matters because guides published in 2026 flatly contradict one another on the point. Some list name, date of birth and gender as online fields. Others say only address can be changed online and everything else needs a centre. We are not going to pretend to settle that from the outside, so we will tell you what we can stand behind: UIDAI's own answer to this exact question is to go to a Seva Kendra, and that is the route that cannot fail on this ground.
Two things that are not in dispute
First, every online Aadhaar service needs a mobile number already registered against your record. If yours is not registered, or you no longer hold that number, there is no online option at all and a centre visit is the only route. Second, the widely advertised free online update is a document re-validation, extended to 14 June 2027 by an office memorandum of 13 May 2026. It refreshes the proof of identity and proof of address already held against your record. It does not change your name, and a name change stays a paid demographic update.
Plan on going in person
Book a free appointment at appointments.uidai.gov.in where your centre offers one, and take originals and self attested copies. You are verified biometrically at the counter.
Your number does not change
The twelve digit Aadhaar number is permanent and never changes, whatever you update. Nobody is issued a new one for a name correction.
Aadhaar goes first in any sequence
PAN, banks, the passport and most institutions ask for Aadhaar as the supporting document. Update it first and everything downstream already agrees.
Which Aadhaar name corrections need no gazette?
Six of them, and this comes from a Government portal rather than from us.
A state eGazette portal instructs applicants not to apply for a gazette notification where the purpose is an Aadhaar correction in the situations below, citing the UIDAI standard operating procedure dated 28 October 2021:
1. Typographical mistakes
A letter mistyped at enrolment or on a form. The record is simply wrong, and correcting it is not a change of name.
2. Transliteration errors
A name rendered differently when moved between scripts. Extremely common and not a gazette matter.
3. Regional language name updates
Where the version you use in your own language differs from what was entered.
4. Marriage, divorce or adoption changes
The certificate, the decree or the adoption documentation is what does the work. See our guides on a name change after marriage and a name change after divorce.
5. Appending or editing initials
Adding, removing or adjusting an initial. Common where records carry a given name and an initial rather than a surname.
6. A change in name sequence
The same name in a different order, which is frequently how a board certificate and an Aadhaar come to disagree.
One honest limit on that
The instruction is specifically about Aadhaar. It does not mean a gazette is never useful: a passport office, a board or a foreign employer may want one for its own purposes, and that is a separate question to ask of that institution. But for the Aadhaar update itself, in those six situations, it is not what you need.
Why does your name look different in the second language on your Aadhaar?
Because every Aadhaar carries your name twice, and the second copy is a transliteration.
An Aadhaar letter prints your name in English and in one Indian language. The set UIDAI supports is Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. When you enrolled, the operator typed one version and the system produced the other by transliteration, letter by letter, without knowing how your family actually spells it.
That is why so many names disagree
A vowel gets doubled, a soft consonant hardens, an honorific is absorbed into the surname. The two lines on the same card then stop matching each other.
It is one of the six
A transliteration error and a regional language name update are both on the no gazette list. This is not a change of name at all. It is a record that was typed wrong.
Fix the language field too
If you correct only the English line, the regional line still carries the old spelling and the next verifier will read that one. Ask for both at the counter.
How many times can you change your name in Aadhaar?
Twice, and two further facts make that limit sharper than it sounds.
The limit is not folklore. A UIDAI circular, F.No. 414/57/159/2016-E&U dated 1 April 2019, headed as a modification of the office memoranda of 24 September 2018 and 7 February 2019 on updating name, gender and date of birth, provides that a name can be updated twice, gender once and date of birth only once. Beyond those limits the circular says it can be done through an exception handling process which may require the resident to visit the Regional Office of the UIDAI. There are eight of those Regional Offices for the whole country, so this is not a counter you drop into.
The fee is charged per attempt
Rs 75 since 1 October 2025, and it is not refunded if the request is rejected. A rejection costs you the money and, in practice, the attempt. Two attempts is the entire budget for a whole life.
Rejections are common and avoidable
A documented case: a request refused within twelve days, with the one line reason “supporting document not acceptable”, because a marriage certificate named the applicant only under her maiden name. The certificate proved a marriage. It never printed her new name as her own, so it could not connect the two.
What happened next in that case is the useful part
She did not appeal. She obtained a Central Gazette notification, at the Government fee of Rs 1,100 plus roughly Rs 2,100 in affidavit and newspaper costs, and applied again with that copy attached. The second attempt was accepted in six days. So the gazette route does work where a single certificate cannot connect the two names. It is simply far more expensive than getting the first attempt right, and it spends the second of your two changes. Read your document properly and you may never need any of it.
Why must a gazette address match your Aadhaar address?
Because UIDAI says it should, and almost nobody repeats it.
For a first name or full name change, UIDAI's guidance is to provide a notification copy of the Gazette, from either a State or the Union Government, together with an old proof of identity carrying the name currently on your Aadhaar. And then the line people miss: in the Gazette, address details should match with your Aadhaar.
That trips people up in entirely ordinary ways
Published from a different address
The gazette carries a parents' house because that is where the affidavit was sworn, while Aadhaar carries a rented flat in another city.
You moved mid-process
Six weeks pass between filing and publication, and the move happens in week three. The notification now names an address you have left.
Aadhaar is simply out of date
It still shows an address left three years ago and never updated. Most people's does.
They agree, but not exactly
One says Flat 4B and the other 4-B, or one includes a locality the other omits. Small differences are still differences at a counter.
Which document do you actually need to take?
One test runs through all of it, and it decides most outcomes at the counter.
| Your situation | What to take |
|---|---|
| Spelling or typographical error | An identity document carrying the correct spelling. No gazette needed |
| Transliteration or regional language version | An identity document with the version you want. No gazette needed |
| Surname change after marriage | The registered marriage certificate, which must show both your existing name and the new one |
| Reverting after divorce | A certified copy of the decree, which should record the name you are reverting to |
| Adding or editing initials, or changing name order | A document showing the version you want. No gazette needed |
| First name or full name change | A Gazette notification, State or Union, plus an old identity proof carrying the name on your Aadhaar, with a matching address |
| Both limits already used | A special request through the UIDAI regional office, with supporting evidence |
Before travelling, check the acceptable documents list on uidai.gov.in for the field you are updating. Whether a particular certificate or marksheet is accepted depends on the document type and on whether it carries your photograph and the name you want, and that list is the only place that answers it.
How do you change your name in an Aadhaar card, step by step?
Eight steps, and the first two are the ones that decide whether the rest works.
Decide the exact final spelling
Letter for letter, including spacing, and including how it splits into a given name and a surname if a passport is in view. You have two attempts in a lifetime.
Check the document connects both names
Read it as an assessor would. And if a gazette is involved, check your Aadhaar address now, not after the notification prints.
Get the update form
The Aadhaar Enrolment and Update Form, from the Downloads section of uidai.gov.in or from the counter itself.
Visit a Seva Kendra
Book an appointment where your centre offers one. Carry originals and self attested copies along with your existing Aadhaar.
Fill the form and authenticate
In block letters, with the new name exactly as decided. Biometric authentication is done at the counter by the operator.
Pay and take the slip
The fee is paid at the centre. Do not leave the counter without the acknowledgement slip in your hand.
Save the Update Request Number
The URN printed on that slip is how you track the request on the myAadhaar portal, and it is what any grievance later needs.
Download the updated e-Aadhaar
Once the change reflects. Only then update PAN, the bank and the passport, so that each one sees a record that already agrees.
If a gazette genuinely is needed for your case, the order is gazette first, then Aadhaar, then everything else. The Central route is set out in our all India name change guide, and the office that receives that file in our gazette office in Delhi page.
What is the fee for a name change in an Aadhaar card?
Rs 75. And there is a reason half the internet still says Rs 50.
A name change is a demographic update. On 1 October 2025 UIDAI revised its charges for the first time in about five years: a demographic update went from Rs 50 to Rs 75, and a biometric update from Rs 100 to Rs 125. Every page still printing Rs 50 is quoting the old rate, which is exactly why guides published in 2026 appear to disagree with one another. They are not disagreeing. Some of them simply have not been updated.
| Service | Charge | The part that matters |
|---|---|---|
| Demographic update, on its own | Rs 75 | This is what a name change is. Charged per attempt. Not refunded on rejection |
| Demographic update with a biometric update | Free | On India Post’s published fee table. Worth asking about if biometrics are due anyway |
| Biometric update | Rs 125 | Raised from Rs 100 on the same date. A different service to a name change |
| Mandatory biometric update, ages 5 to 17 | Free | Waived for one year from 1 October 2025. Still compulsory, just not charged |
| Online document re-validation | Free to 14 June 2027 | Refreshes existing identity and address proof. It does not change your name |
| Doorstep update service | Rs 700 | Where offered. Unchanged by the 2025 revision |
| Central Gazette, adult | Commonly Rs 1,100 | Only for a first name or full name change. Non-refundable, revised each financial year |
| Central Gazette, minor | Commonly Rs 1,700 | Paid on BharatKosh only, and also revised each financial year |
| A gazette you did not need | Rs 1,100 plus notices | Avoidable in six named situations. Read that list before you pay anybody |
Charges do change, as October 2025 proved. Confirm the current figure on uidai.gov.in or at the centre before you go, and be wary of any private service that quotes the Aadhaar fee itself as a large amount.
Why do Aadhaar name change requests get rejected?
Five causes account for most of it, and every one of them is preventable before you leave home.
1. The document does not connect the two names
The most common cause by a distance. If your proof shows only one version of your name, it cannot support a change from one to the other. The documented twelve day rejection was exactly this.
2. A mismatch between the form and the document
What you wrote and what the paper says differ, even by a space or an initial. The assessor is comparing two strings, not reading your intention.
3. Illegible copies
Blurred, cropped, dark or unreadable scans and photographs. Entirely avoidable, and still a routine cause of failure.
4. A document type not accepted for that field
UIDAI publishes an acceptable documents list per field. A paper that proves the point to you is not automatically on it.
5. A gazette address that does not match
Where a gazette is being used. UIDAI states the address in the Gazette should match your Aadhaar, and people move mid-process.
And the cost of each one
The fee, and in practice the attempt. With only two name changes in a lifetime, a careless first attempt is expensive in a way the receipt does not show.
How long does an Aadhaar name change take?
Reported times vary widely, so plan for a few weeks and track it rather than trusting a number.
Published processing times run from around a week or two at the fast end to thirty or ninety days at the slow end. Track the request with your Update Request Number, and do not book anything that depends on the updated Aadhaar until it has actually reflected. A flight, an examination form or a bank deadline built on an assumed date is how a small correction becomes a large problem.
1. Gazette, if needed
Only for a first name or full name change. Commonly 30 to 45 days for Part IV publication.
2. Aadhaar
Do this first among the records. Everything downstream asks for it as the supporting document.
3. PAN and the bank
Each on its own form, once Aadhaar already shows the name you want them to accept. See our PAN guide and bank records guide.
4. Passport and the rest
Reissue under Change in Personal Particulars. Then the voter card, the driving licence, your LIC policy, employer and school records. See our passport guide.
How does an Aadhaar name change work for a child?
A parent authenticates, and the two change limit applies to the child as well.
A young child's own biometrics are not on record, so a parent's biometric authentication is used for the update. Biometrics are captured again at ages five and fifteen, and both are natural moments to check that the name held on the record is still the one you intend the child to carry.
The limit belongs to the child, not to you
A name changed carelessly in childhood spends one of the two that child has for their whole life. It is worth settling the final form properly rather than approximately.
Match it to the school record
The name on Aadhaar, on the birth certificate and in the school admission register should say the same thing. A board certificate that disagrees years later is a much harder problem than this one.
Where can we help with an Aadhaar name change?
Across India, for the documentation part. The counter visit is always yours to make.
All 28 states and 8 union territories
The Aadhaar procedure is the same everywhere, because UIDAI is a central authority and the centre network follows one standard. Your state changes the second language printed on your card, not the process.
Where a gazette is genuinely needed
For a first name or full name change, the Central file goes to one address in Delhi. See our all India guide and our gazette office in Delhi page.
Delhi and the National Capital Region
Where a Central file can be handed in over a counter. Guides for Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad.
What we cannot do for you
We cannot attend the Seva Kendra in your place. Biometric authentication is yours. What we can do is make sure the document you carry will actually work.
Call 9540005002, WhatsApp 9540005064, or write to support@documentadvisor.in, Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM. For the reason behind your change, see our guides on a name change after marriage, a name change after divorce, a surname change, a numerology name change and a religion change.
What do the Aadhaar terms on this page mean?
Twelve definitions, each written to stand on its own.
- Demographic update
- A change to the name, address, date of birth, gender, mobile number or email held against an Aadhaar record. A name update is permitted twice in a lifetime, is charged per attempt, and the fee is not refunded if the request is rejected.
- Aadhaar Seva Kendra
- A centre operated for enrolment and update services, where biometric authentication is carried out at the counter. UIDAI's own answer to a name change question is to visit the nearest one, because a change of name is not offered as an online update.
- Update Request Number
- Commonly shortened to URN. The reference printed on the acknowledgement slip after an update request is filed. It is used to track the request, and it is required to file a grievance, an RTI application or a first appeal if something goes wrong.
- myAadhaar portal
- The self service portal at myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in, used to check the details currently held against a record, to track an update request and to download an e-Aadhaar. Its online update service covers address, not a change of name.
- Proof of identity
- A document from the list UIDAI accepts for the identity field, carrying the holder's name and, for most types, a photograph. For a full name change UIDAI asks for an old proof of identity carrying the name currently held on the Aadhaar record.
- Aadhaar Enrolment and Update Form
- The printed form used at a centre to request a correction or change. It is available in the Downloads section of uidai.gov.in and at the counter, and is filled in block letters.
- Transliteration error
- A difference created when a name is written from one script into another, so that the same name appears in two spellings. It is one of the six situations a Government portal names as needing no gazette notification for an Aadhaar correction.
- Standard operating procedure
- An internal Government instruction setting out how a process is to be handled. The UIDAI procedure dated 28 October 2021 is the one cited by a state eGazette portal when telling applicants not to buy a notification for six kinds of Aadhaar name correction.
- Gazette notification
- The publication of a declaration in an official Government journal, with a date. For Aadhaar it is required only for a first name or full name change, and UIDAI expects the address printed in it to match the address on the Aadhaar record.
- Part IV
- The part of the Gazette of India in which personal change of name notifications appear. It belongs to the Central Gazette alone. A State Gazette carries its own numbering and its own fee, and UIDAI accepts either.
- Registrar correction
- A correction to a birth or death entry made by the registering authority under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. It is a separate application to a separate office, and no gazette and no Aadhaar update replaces it.
- BharatKosh
- The Government of India Non-Tax Receipt Portal at bharatkosh.gov.in, through which the Central Gazette fee is paid where a gazette is genuinely required. It is the only accepted channel and the payment is non-refundable.
Where do you actually go, wherever you live in India?
The Aadhaar network is one national system. Your state changes the language on the card, not the procedure.
Aadhaar Seva Kendras
Run by UIDAI itself, commonly open seven days a week, 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, with an online appointment system and a token system on site. Book free at appointments.uidai.gov.in.
Post office centres
India Post runs 13,352 Aadhaar enrolment and update centres across the country, which for most small towns is the nearest counter. Its helpline is 1800-11-8282.
Bank and registrar centres
Permanent enrolment centres inside bank branches and at state registrar offices do the same demographic updates. Search them at appointments.uidai.gov.in.
And if both your name changes are already used
Then the circular sends you to the exception handling process, which may require you to attend a UIDAI Regional Office. There are only eight for the entire country, and between them they cover every state and union territory. This is the table nobody publishes on this keyword, and it is the reason a careless first attempt is expensive.
| Regional Office | States and union territories covered |
|---|---|
| Bengaluru | Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Lakshadweep |
| Chandigarh | Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh |
| Delhi | Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
| Guwahati | Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim |
| Hyderabad | Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh |
| Mumbai | Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |
| Ranchi | Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal |
If something goes wrong, in this order
1. Your URN
The Update Request Number from the acknowledgement slip. Nothing below this line works without it.
2. UIDAI directly
The 1947 helpline, or help@uidai.gov.in, quoting the URN and the date of the request.
3. The grievance portal
pgportal.gov.in, the Central public grievance system, if the helpline does not resolve it.
4. RTI and first appeal
A Right to Information application asking on what ground the request was refused, then a first appeal.
A gazette, where one is genuinely needed, can come from either a State or the Union Government, and UIDAI accepts both. The Central route from any state is set out in our all India name change guide, and the office that receives it in our gazette office in Delhi page.
Do you need any help with this at all?
For most readers of this page, no. We would rather say so than sell you something.
| Your case | Do it yourself? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A spelling or typographical error | Yes | Take the document with the correct spelling to the centre. No gazette. Nothing to buy |
| A transliteration or regional language version | Yes | Same. One of the six named no gazette situations |
| Adding an initial or changing name order | Yes | Same again. A quoted gazette fee here means somebody has not read the UIDAI position |
| Surname change after marriage or divorce | Usually | If your certificate or decree shows both names. Worth having that checked before you travel |
| A first name or full name change | Help is worth it | The gazette fee is non-refundable, the Aadhaar fee is too, and the address must match |
| Both changes already used | Help is worth it | A special request through the UIDAI regional office. Treat it as difficult, not routine |
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 tell you when you need nothing
Most people who ask us about an Aadhaar name change fall inside the six no gazette categories. We say so, and we say it before you spend anything.
We read your document first
The single test is whether it connects both names. We check that on a photograph, in minutes, before you take a day off work.
We check the address before drafting
Against your current Aadhaar record, because UIDAI expects a gazette address to match and almost nobody warns people about it.
We settle the spelling once
Letter for letter, with the passport given name and surname split decided, because two attempts in a lifetime is the whole budget.
We cite the Government, not ourselves
Every claim on this page points at a UIDAI answer or a Government portal instruction you can open and read yourself.
Everything You Need, In One Place
Telling you whether you need a gazette at all
Matching your case against the six situations the UIDAI procedure covers, from a photograph of the documents you already hold.
Reading your supporting document
Applying the one test that decides most outcomes: does this paper carry both the name on your Aadhaar and the name you want?
Settling the exact form of the name
Letter for letter and space for space, with the passport field split decided before a reissue makes it permanent.
Affidavit and newspaper notices
Where a first name or full name change genuinely needs the gazette route, drafted with the address matched to your Aadhaar record.
Full gazette file preparation
The proforma computer typed in duplicate with two witnesses, the undertaking, the soft copy and the matching contents certificate.
Record update sequencing
Aadhaar first, then PAN, bank, passport and the rest, each on its own form, in the order that stops one office contradicting the next.
How It Works
Book
Call or WhatsApp with a photograph of your existing Aadhaar and of the document you were planning to take to the centre.
Schedule
We tell you whether that document will do the job, whether your case needs a gazette at all, and what each step costs before you commit to anything.
Relax
Where a gazette is needed we draft, word the notices and check the file. You make the Seva Kendra visit yourself, because the biometrics have to be yours.
The questions people search about an Aadhaar name change
Can I change my name in Aadhaar card online?
No. UIDAI's own FAQ says that for minor corrections in your name or a change in name, you should visit the nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra. That answer sits in the section about the myAadhaar online update service, which is itself the point. Guides published in 2026 that say otherwise are wrong on this field.
Is a gazette compulsory for an Aadhaar name change?
Not for six kinds of correction. A Government portal, citing the UIDAI procedure of 28 October 2021, instructs applicants not to apply for a notification for typographical mistakes, transliteration errors, regional language updates, marriage, divorce or adoption changes, initials, or a change in name sequence. It advises applying only for a full or first name change.
What is the difference between a name correction and a name change?
A correction fixes a record that was always meant to say something else, such as a mistyped letter. A change replaces one name with a different one. UIDAI treats both as a demographic update and both count against the same two in a lifetime limit, which is why the distinction matters less than people expect.
How many times can I update my name on Aadhaar?
Twice. A UIDAI circular dated 1 April 2019 sets it out: name twice, gender once, date of birth once, and beyond those limits an exception handling process which may require you to visit a UIDAI Regional Office. There are eight of those in the whole country. Since the fee is charged per attempt and a rejection costs you both the money and, in practice, the attempt, careless first applications are expensive.
How much does it cost, and why do sites give different numbers?
Rs 75, and the reason for the confusion is simply that the charge changed. UIDAI revised its rates on 1 October 2025, the first revision in about five years: demographic updates Rs 50 to Rs 75, biometric updates Rs 100 to Rs 125. Anything still printing Rs 50 is quoting the old rate.
Which document proves a name change to UIDAI?
Whichever one connects the old name to the new one. A marriage certificate showing both names, a decree recording the name reverted to, or a gazette notification plus an old identity proof carrying the name currently on your Aadhaar. A document showing only the new name proves nothing about who you were.
Why did UIDAI reject my name update request?
Most often because the supporting document did not connect both names. Other routine causes are a mismatch between the form and the paper, illegible copies, a document type not accepted for that field, and a gazette address that does not match the Aadhaar address.
Do I update Aadhaar before or after PAN and the passport?
Before. PAN, banks, the passport office and most institutions ask for Aadhaar as the supporting document. Update it first and every later office sees a record that already agrees. If a gazette is needed, the order is gazette, Aadhaar, PAN, then the rest.
Does my Aadhaar number change when my name changes?
No. The twelve digit number is permanent and never changes, whatever you update. Nobody is issued a fresh number for a name correction, and any service suggesting otherwise has misunderstood how the record works.
Check your document before you go
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Frequently asked questions
Can I change my name in Aadhaar online?
No. UIDAI's own FAQ says that for minor corrections in your name or a change in name you should visit the nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra. Some guides published in 2026 say otherwise; they are wrong on this field. The online update service is chiefly for address and for document re-validation.
Do I need a gazette notification for an Aadhaar name change?
Not for six kinds of correction. A Government portal, citing the UIDAI standard operating procedure of 28 October 2021, instructs applicants not to apply for a gazette for typographical mistakes, transliteration errors, regional language name updates, marriage, divorce or adoption related changes, appending or editing initials, or a change in name sequence. Apply for one only for a full or first name change.
What does UIDAI require for a first name or full name change?
A notification copy of the Gazette, from either a State or the Union Government, and an old proof of identity carrying the name currently on your Aadhaar. UIDAI also states that the address details in the Gazette should match your Aadhaar address.
Why does the gazette address have to match my Aadhaar?
Because UIDAI says it should. People publish from a parents' address, or move during the weeks between filing and publication, or hold an Aadhaar showing an address left years ago, and the update then fails. Check your Aadhaar address before the affidavit is drafted, not after the gazette prints.
How many times can I change my name in Aadhaar?
Twice. A UIDAI circular numbered F.No. 414/57/159/2016-E and U, dated 1 April 2019, modifying the office memoranda of 24 September 2018 and 7 February 2019, provides that name can be updated twice, gender once and date of birth only once, and that beyond those limits it can be done through an exception handling process which may require the resident to visit a Regional Office of UIDAI. There are eight Regional Offices for the whole country.
What does an Aadhaar name change cost?
Rs 75 for a demographic update, which is what a name change is. UIDAI revised its charges on 1 October 2025, the first revision in about five years, taking a demographic update from Rs 50 to Rs 75 and a biometric update from Rs 100 to Rs 125. Pages still quoting Rs 50 are giving the old rate. The fee is charged per attempt and is not refunded if the request is rejected.
Is the name change ever free?
India Post publishes a fee table showing a demographic update as free when it is carried out along with a biometric update, and Rs 75 on its own. If biometrics are due anyway, which they are at ages five and fifteen for a child, it is worth asking about doing both in one visit. The mandatory biometric update for children aged five to seventeen was itself waived for one year from 1 October 2025.
Why was my Aadhaar name change request rejected?
Most often because the supporting document did not connect your old name to your new one. Other common causes are a mismatch between what you entered and what the document says, illegible or cropped copies, or a document type not accepted for that field.
My marriage certificate only shows my maiden name. Is that a problem?
Yes, and it is a documented cause of rejection. One request was refused within twelve days for exactly this reason. The certificate needs to show both the name currently on your Aadhaar and the new one, otherwise it cannot support the change.
What is the Update Request Number and why does it matter?
It is the reference printed on your acknowledgement slip, usually shortened to URN. You need it to track the request on the myAadhaar portal, and if something goes wrong it is what you need to file a grievance, an RTI application or a first appeal. Photograph the slip before leaving the counter.
How long does an Aadhaar name update take?
Reported times vary from about a week or two at the fast end to thirty or ninety days at the slow end. Plan for a few weeks, track it with the URN, and do not book anything that depends on the updated Aadhaar until the change has actually reflected.
Should I update Aadhaar before PAN and the passport?
Yes. Most institutions ask for Aadhaar as the supporting document, so updating it first means everything downstream already agrees. If a gazette is genuinely needed, the order is gazette, then Aadhaar, then PAN, then the rest.
Can I use a school marksheet as proof?
It depends on the document type UIDAI accepts for that field and on whether the marksheet carries your photograph and the name you want. Check the acceptable documents list on uidai.gov.in before travelling, because that list is the only thing that answers it.
I have already used both my changes. What now?
The exception handling process, which the UIDAI circular says may require you to visit a Regional Office of UIDAI. There are eight of them, covering every state and union territory between them, so for most people this means travelling. Ring 1947 first and take the current address from uidai.gov.in rather than from a website. Treat it as difficult rather than routine, which is exactly why the earlier attempts are worth making carefully.
How does an Aadhaar name change work for a child?
A parent's biometric authentication is used, since a young child's own biometrics are not on record. Biometrics are recaptured at ages five and fifteen. The two change limit applies to the child as well, so a name changed carelessly in childhood spends one of the two that child will ever have.
Does a gazette notification update my Aadhaar automatically?
No. A gazette creates the proof. You still make a separate application at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra with that copy and an old identity proof carrying the name currently on your record.
The name in my regional language is wrong. Is that a name change?
No, it is a correction. An Aadhaar letter prints your name in English and in one Indian language from a set of twelve, and the second version is produced by transliteration. A transliteration error and a regional language name update are both on the list of six corrections a Government portal says need no gazette. Ask the counter to correct both lines, because fixing only the English one leaves the old spelling on the card.
Where can I go if there is no Aadhaar Seva Kendra near me?
India Post runs 13,352 Aadhaar enrolment and update centres across the country, and permanent enrolment centres also sit inside bank branches and at state registrar offices. They handle the same demographic updates. Search for one and book a free appointment at appointments.uidai.gov.in, or ring the India Post helpline on 1800-11-8282.
What should I take with me to the Seva Kendra?
The Aadhaar Enrolment and Update Form, the supporting document that connects both names, originals with self attested copies, your existing Aadhaar, and the fee. Check the acceptable documents list on uidai.gov.in before you go.
Is the free document update the same as a name change?
No, and this is a common and expensive confusion. The free facility is an online re-validation of the proof of identity and proof of address already held against your record, available on the myAadhaar portal and extended to 14 June 2027 by an office memorandum of 13 May 2026. It refreshes documents. It does not change your name. A change of name is a paid demographic update at Rs 75 and it counts against your two.
What should I ask a service before paying for a gazette?
Which of the six no gazette categories your case falls into, and if none of them, why not. If they cannot answer that, they have not read the UIDAI position and they may be quoting you for work you do not need.
Where can you verify all of this yourself?
Open the first two before you do anything else. They settle most of what the rest of the internet argues about.
- UIDAI FAQ, what changes can I do to my name in AadhaarThe answer that settles the online question: for minor corrections in your name or a change in name, visit the nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra. Note that it sits under the online update service section.
- UIDAI FAQ, how can I change my first name or full nameWhere the gazette requirement actually lives, framed around a first or full name change, together with the old proof of identity and the instruction that the Gazette address should match your Aadhaar.
- UIDAI circular on updating name, gender and date of birthF.No. 414/57/159/2016-E and U, dated 1 April 2019. The primary source for the limits: name twice, gender once, date of birth once, and an exception handling process beyond that which may require a visit to a UIDAI Regional Office.
- UIDAI Regional OfficesThe eight Regional Offices and their current addresses. Take the address from here rather than from a website, because several private pages still list offices that are not on this list.
- UIDAI appointment bookingFree appointment booking at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra, and a separate search for bank and post office enrolment centres where no Seva Kendra is close by.
- Aadhaar updation, India PostThe 13,352 post office enrolment and update centres and the published fee table, which shows Rs 75 for a demographic update on its own and free when it is done along with a biometric update.
- Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring SystemWhere an unresolved Aadhaar grievance goes after the 1947 helpline, quoting the Update Request Number from your acknowledgement slip.
- Unique Identification Authority of IndiaThe acceptable documents list per field, the Aadhaar Enrolment and Update Form under Downloads, the update charges, and the regional office route where both permitted changes are already used.
- myAadhaar, the self service portalWhere to read the address currently held against your record before an affidavit is drafted, to check update status with the Update Request Number, and to download the e-Aadhaar once the change reflects.
- Odisha eGazette portal, Government of OdishaThe Government instruction not to apply for a gazette notification for six kinds of Aadhaar name correction, citing the UIDAI standard operating procedure dated 28 October 2021, and advising publication only for a full or first name change.
- Department of Publication, Government of IndiaThe Central gazette office at Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, which publishes personal change of name notifications in Part IV, and the source for the current fee, revised each financial year.
- Guidelines for Change of Name, Department of PublicationThe whole file in one place: the newspaper notice, the undertaking, the proforma computer typed in duplicate with two witnesses, the soft copy and the matching contents certificate. Note what is absent: any CD and any demand draft.
- BharatKosh, the Non-Tax Receipt PortalThe only accepted channel for the Central gazette fee, and non-refundable, which is a reason to have a file checked before it is sent rather than after it comes back.
- The Gazette of India, e-Gazette portalWhere a published notification is downloaded, free of charge and without certification. This is the copy a Seva Kendra will look at, so check the address printed on it before you travel.
- Civil Registration System, Registrar General of IndiaBirth registration and Registrar corrections under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, which is a separate application to a separate office and is not an Aadhaar matter.
- Passport Seva, Ministry of External AffairsReissue under Change in Personal Particulars, and the given name and surname split that follows you onto every visa. Update Aadhaar before you file this, not after.
- Income Tax DepartmentPAN correction once your Aadhaar already carries the new name, and where to check the current route when a service provider's page and a private guide disagree.
- Documentadvisor: Affidavit for Name ChangeThe affidavit format this record update is built on: who can attest it, and what it should say.
In short
Everything on this page in twelve lines
- A name change in an Aadhaar card is not an online update. UIDAI's own FAQ says to visit the nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra.
- Six kinds of correction need no gazette at all, on a Government instruction citing the UIDAI procedure of 28 October 2021.
- Those six are typographical mistakes, transliteration errors, regional language versions, marriage, divorce or adoption changes, initials, and name order.
- A gazette is for a first name or full name change, and then UIDAI also wants an old identity proof carrying the name on your Aadhaar.
- If you do use a gazette, the address printed in it should match your Aadhaar address. Check that before the affidavit is drafted.
- You get two name changes in a lifetime on a UIDAI circular of 1 April 2019, with gender and date of birth allowing one each, and beyond that an exception handling process through one of only eight Regional Offices.
- The fee is Rs 75, raised from Rs 50 on 1 October 2025, which is why older pages still print Rs 50. It is charged per attempt and is not refunded on rejection.
- The single test for your document is whether it shows both the name on your Aadhaar and the name you want. One that shows only the new name proves nothing.
- The commonest rejection is exactly that, and there is a documented refusal within twelve days on a marriage certificate carrying only a maiden name.
- Photograph the acknowledgement slip. The Update Request Number on it tracks the request and is what a grievance, an RTI or a first appeal needs.
- Your Aadhaar number never changes, and updating Aadhaar first makes PAN, the bank and the passport agree with it afterwards.
- Wherever you live in India the procedure is identical: Aadhaar Seva Kendras, 13,352 India Post centres and bank enrolment counters all do it, and the second language printed on your card is where most spelling mismatches begin.
Send us the document before you spend a rupee.
Photograph your existing Aadhaar and the paper you were planning to take to the Seva Kendra. We will tell you whether it connects both your names, whether your case is one of the six that needs no gazette at all, and what the whole thing should actually cost. If you need nothing from us, we will say so. If it is a genuine first name or full name change, we will prepare the file properly, with the address matched to your Aadhaar before anything is drafted.