Name Change Procedure in Assam
The Government of Assam publishes its own name change procedure, with an office, an addressee and a prescribed form. Almost no guide online mentions it, and several tell Assam readers to advertise in the regional language Hindi, which is not the regional language here at all. This page covers both routes, which one your case needs, the newspaper question that copied guides get wrong, and honest fees and timelines.
Assam residents have two routes. The state route, published by the Directorate of Printing and Stationery: an affidavit through a Notary or Magistrate, an advertisement in a daily newspaper, then a Public Notice application to the Assam Gazette at Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21. The central route: the same affidavit, newspaper notices, then a signed file posted to the Gazette of India in Delhi, published in Part IV in about 30 to 45 days and valid across India and abroad.
What does the name change procedure in Assam involve?
One decision, then three careful stages. The decision is which gazette, and in Assam it genuinely matters, because the state has a documented route that nearly every guide overlooks. The stages are simple enough. What is not simple is the search result you land on: several pages tell Assam readers to publish the notice in the Regional Language Hindi, one promises to courier you a copy of the Official Gazette, and another lists a deed poll among the documents to collect.
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 a page number, passport offices, UIDAI, banks, boards and employers treat it as the legal record of your new name. An affidavit on its own is the start of the change, not the finish.
At a glance
- State route
- The Assam Gazette, through the Directorate of Printing and Stationery
- State office
- Directorate of Printing and Stationery, Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21, Assam
- Addressed to
- The Publisher, Assam Gazette, at the same Bamunimaidan address
- State form
- A duly filled Public Notice form, with the original newspaper copy
- Assam Gazette schedule
- Published every Wednesday, in Parts I, II-A, II-B, IX, ADC and Supplement, plus Extra-Ordinary issues
- Central route
- Gazette of India, Part IV, a signed file posted to Delhi
- Central office
- Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. No branch in Guwahati
- Newspaper
- One daily for the state route, in any national or regional paper. Two for a Central file
- Central fee
- Commonly Rs 1,100 adult and Rs 1,700 minor, on BharatKosh only, revised each financial year
- State charges
- Ask the Directorate. No reliable public figure, so treat private numbers as unverified
Key takeaways
- Assam has a documented state route. The Directorate of Printing and Stationery, Government of Assam, publishes a name change and correction procedure of its own, setting out the affidavit, the newspaper advertisement and notification in the Assam Gazette.
- The state application goes to the Directorate of Printing and Stationery, Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21, with the covering application addressed to The Publisher, Assam Gazette at that address.
- The state procedure asks for a duly filled Public Notice form, the original newspaper copy carrying your advertisement, and an application, alongside the affidavit.
- For the state route the advertisement may go in any national or regional daily. That is more flexible than the two-paper practice used for a Central file.
- Hindi is not the regional language here. Under the Assam Official Language Act, 1960, Assamese is used for the official purposes of the State, and Section 5 provides for Bengali in the district of Cachar. On 15 April 2025 the Assam Cabinet made Assamese the compulsory official language for Government notifications and Acts across the state, other than the Barak Valley and the BTR districts, where Bengali and Bodo apply.
- Part IV belongs to the Gazette of India only. The Assam Gazette runs its own parts, so any page promising you Part IV of the Assam gazette has confused two different documents.
- The Central fee is commonly Rs 1,100 adult and Rs 1,700 minor, on bharatkosh.gov.in only, revised each financial year. Demand drafts are not accepted.
- Nobody couriers you a Gazette. Hard copies of the Gazette of India ceased on 1 October 2015, and you download the PDF yourself, free.
- A birth certificate mistake is a Registrar correction under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. It is not a gazette matter.
The Assam name change process on video
Two short videos from our desk, placed next to the sections they explain.
How to change a name in Assam, and the gazette office question
- How to change a name in Assam, and the gazette office questionThe whole process, and where the file actually goes.
- Gazette office in Assam, and the address people search forThe Assam Gazette at Bamunimaidan, and why there is no Central counter here.
Did Assam really give away its own capital city?
Yes, through an Act of Parliament and a notification. Set against that, changing a spelling is small.
No Indian state has been redrawn as often as Assam, and the scale is easy to forget. Undivided Assam, from 1947 to 1963, covered around 234,568 square kilometres and included what are now Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram. Its capital was Shillong. Before all of that, Partition had already taken Sylhet across the border to East Pakistan after a referendum in 1947.
Then the map changed piece by piece. Parliament passed the State of Nagaland Act, 1962, and Nagaland was inaugurated on 1 December 1963 as India's sixteenth state. The Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act, 1969 created an autonomous Meghalaya inside Assam from 2 April 1970. The North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971, enacted on 30 December 1971 and in force from 21 January 1972, made Meghalaya a full state, raised Manipur and Tripura from Union Territories to states, and constituted Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh as Union Territories. Both became full states on 20 February 1987.
When Meghalaya became a state, Shillong went with it. Assam had to move its capital to Dispur, on the edge of Guwahati, where it sits today.
Assam Gazette or the Central Gazette: which one does your case need?
Most guides tell Assam readers there is only one route, to Delhi. That is not what the Assam Government says.
The Directorate of Printing and Stationery, Government of Assam, publishes a name change and correction procedure of its own, with a named office, a named addressee and a prescribed Public Notice form. The Assam Gazette itself is published by that Directorate at Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21, and comes out every Wednesday, in Parts I, II-A, II-B, IX, ADC and Supplement, alongside Extra-Ordinary issues.
| Point | Assam Gazette (state) | Central Gazette of India |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | Directorate of Printing and Stationery, Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21 | Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054 |
| Where the application goes | To The Publisher, Assam Gazette, at the Bamunimaidan address | To the Controller of Publications, by post, courier or in person |
| Newspaper advertisement | Any national or regional daily, with the original copy submitted | Normally two notices, complete original pages kept as proof |
| Prescribed form | A duly filled Public Notice form | The prescribed proforma, two copies, computer typed |
| Where it appears | The Assam Gazette, published every Wednesday in its own parts | Part IV of the Gazette of India, in weekly Saturday dated issues |
| Fee | Ask the Directorate for current charges | Commonly Rs 1,100 adult and Rs 1,700 minor, on BharatKosh, revised each financial year |
| Best for | Records that stay inside Assam, including many state department and board matters | Passport, central Government jobs, banks in other states, anything abroad |
The gazette office people search for, on video
Gazette office in Assam, and the address people search for
Four claims about Assam that are wrong
Each of these is on a page ranking today, and each one costs somebody time or money.
That the ad goes in the regional language Hindi
Two pages tell Assam readers to publish in the Regional Language Hindi. Assam is not a Hindi-language state. Under the Assam Official Language Act, 1960 Assamese is used for the official purposes of the State, with Bengali provided for in the district of Cachar. A guide saying otherwise has pasted your state's name into text written for the Hindi belt.
That you must advertise in all national newspapers
One page says the announcement should be published in all major national newspapers. Assam's own published procedure asks for an advertisement in any national or regional daily, singular, with the original copy submitted. Buying a stack of national ads spends money for nothing.
That somebody will courier you the Gazette
One page promises we will send you a copy of the Official Gazette through courier. The Gazette of India has been digital only since 1 October 2015. What a company can courier you is a printout. The real thing is a PDF you download free from egazette.gov.in.
That you need a deed poll
One widely shared Assam checklist lists a deed poll among the documents to gather. India does not use the British deed poll system, and neither the Assam procedure nor the Central one asks for one. Collecting it achieves nothing.
Which language should the newspaper advertisement be in?
This deserves its own section, because it is where copied guides do the most damage in Assam.
Assam is not a Hindi-language state. The Assam Official Language Act, 1960 (Act 33 of 1960, dated 17 December 1960) provides in Section 3 that Assamese shall be used for the official purposes of the State, and in Section 5 that Bengali shall be used for administrative and other official purposes up to and including the district level in the district of Cachar. On 15 April 2025 the Assam Cabinet went further, making Assamese the compulsory official language for Government notifications, orders, Acts, rules and regulations across the state, other than the Barak Valley, where Bengali applies, and the Bodoland Territorial Region, where Bodo applies, with English used alongside in each case. The directive was issued under Section 7 read with Section 3 of the 1960 Act.
Brahmaputra Valley
Guwahati, Nagaon, Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and the upper districts: an Assamese daily, with English alongside for a Central file.
Barak Valley
Silchar, Karimganj and Hailakandi: a Bengali daily is the natural regional choice, with English alongside.
Bodoland and elsewhere
Choose the paper that genuinely circulates locally. The state procedure allows any national or regional daily, so the test is circulation, not prestige.
The Assam Gazette route, step by step
Three stages, one office, one form, and one newspaper advertisement.
Affidavit through a Notary or Magistrate
Current name, address and the proposed new name, with the exact spelling settled here.
One newspaper advertisement
Any national or regional daily that genuinely circulates where you live, with the original copy kept.
Apply at Bamunimaidan
The application to The Publisher, Assam Gazette, with the Public Notice form and the newspaper copy.
Step 1: make the affidavit through a Notary or Magistrate
The Assam procedure begins with an affidavit made through a Notary or a Magistrate, stating your current name and address and the proposed new name. Stamp paper and notary together usually cost Rs 100 to Rs 500. Fix the exact spelling and spacing of the new name at this stage, because the newspaper advertisement and the Public Notice form both copy from it, and a file that reads two ways comes back.
Step 2: publish the advertisement
Publish an advertisement of your name change or correction in a daily newspaper. The state procedure allows any national or regional daily, which is more flexible than the two-paper practice used for a Central file. Choose a paper that genuinely circulates where you live: an Assamese daily in the Brahmaputra Valley, or a Bengali daily in the Barak Valley around Silchar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, with English widely accepted across the state. Keep the original copy of the newspaper, because you have to hand it in, not a cutting and not a photocopy.
Step 3: apply to the Assam Gazette at Bamunimaidan
For the final stage you go to the Directorate of Printing and Stationery, Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21, Assam. Carry:
- An application for name change or correction, addressed to The Publisher, Assam Gazette, Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21, Assam
- A duly filled Public Notice form
- The original copy of the newspaper carrying your advertisement
- The notarised affidavit, along with your identity and address proof
The Central Gazette route, step by step
For a passport, a central Government job, a bank in another state, or anything abroad.
Step 1: the affidavit and the newspaper notices
The same affidavit works. For a Central file the settled practice is two advertisements in dailies that circulate where you live, with English a sensible choice for one of them so the Department can read the matter without difficulty. Keep the complete original printed page of each newspaper, not a cutting, with the date clearly visible. Two notices usually cost Rs 800 to Rs 4,000.
Step 2: prepare the file for Delhi
Per the Department's published guidelines the file contains: the original newspaper pages; a signed undertaking with your old and new name, parentage and residential address; two copies of the prescribed proforma, computer typed and attested; a CD containing the print matter in MS Word without the witness portion; a certificate signed by you declaring the hard and soft copies match; self-attested identity of the applicant and a witness; two passport size photographs; and a request letter to the Controller of Publications. Keep every supporting document less than one year old.
Step 3: pay through BharatKosh only
The Central fee is paid only through bharatkosh.gov.in, commonly Rs 1,100 for an adult and Rs 1,700 for a minor, with an additional Rs 250 where an adult adopts a name of another religion without changing religion. The Department's guidelines state the fee varies each financial year and varies from case to case, so confirm the current amount on deptpub.gov.in before paying. It is not refundable. Do not arrange a demand draft; that route closed years ago.
Step 4: send the file and download your notification
Send the complete file by post or courier to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. Speed post from Guwahati or Dibrugarh works exactly as well as walking it in, though allow a few extra days each way from the upper districts. Applications are entertained only from the applicant, which is why an honest consultant prepares and checks your file while you sign and send it. Your notification then appears in Part IV of the Gazette of India, in weekly Saturday dated issues, about 30 to 45 days after the file reaches Delhi. Since hard copies ceased on 1 October 2015, you open the issue on egazette.gov.in, search the PDF for your old or new name, and download the whole gazette as your own copy. It needs no further certification.
What documents are required for a name change in Assam?
One core list, plus what each route adds.
The core file, either route
- Affidavit made through a Notary or Magistrate, stating current name, address and proposed new name
- Aadhaar or other Government photo identity showing the old name, self-attested
- Address proof in Assam: electricity bill, water bill or rent agreement
- The newspaper carrying your advertisement: the original copy for the state route, complete original pages of both papers for a Central file
- Two passport size photographs
What each route adds, and what your case may need
- State route: a duly filled Public Notice form and a covering application to The Publisher, Assam Gazette
- Central route: two copies of the prescribed proforma, a CD with the print matter in MS Word without the witness portion, the matching-contents certificate, and a request letter to the Controller of Publications
- Marriage certificate, if the change follows a marriage
- Divorce decree, if the change follows a divorce
- Birth certificate of the child, where the applicant is a minor
- Deed attested by the Indian Embassy or Consulate, if you apply from abroad
- Departmental deed, if you are a Central Government employee
What does a name change in Assam really cost?
Short answer: the state route is the lighter one because it needs a single advertisement, and the Central fee is commonly Rs 1,100 for an adult.
| Item | Typical amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp paper and notary | Rs 100 to Rs 500 | A Notary or Magistrate, as the state procedure allows. |
| Newspaper advertisement | Rs 400 to Rs 4,000 | One advertisement for the state route, two for a Central file. |
| Assam Gazette charges | Ask the Directorate | No reliable public figure. Confirm at Bamunimaidan or on dpns.assam.gov.in before you travel. |
| Central Gazette fee, adult | Commonly Rs 1,100 | On BharatKosh only, revised each financial year, non-refundable. |
| Central Gazette fee, minor | Commonly Rs 1,700 | Applies to anyone under 18. Also on BharatKosh. |
| Religion related addition | Rs 250 | Where an adult adopts a name of another religion without changing religion, per the published guidelines. |
| Speed post to Delhi | Rs 50 to Rs 200 | The only distance cost on the Central route. |
| Applying from abroad | Around Rs 7,500 to Rs 9,000 | The Government fee plus embassy or consulate attestation of the deed and courier. |
| Gazette PDF retrieval | Free | A published gazette is a public record. Nobody should charge you to fetch it. |
| Realistic self-done total | Rs 1,000 to Rs 6,000 | The lower end is the state route with one advertisement, the higher end a Central file. |
How long does a name change take in Assam?
Short answer: the state route runs on the Assam Gazette's own weekly cycle, the Central route takes 3 to 7 weeks, and neither sells a fast track.
Day 1 to 2
The exact spelling fixed in writing, documents collected, and the affidavit made through a Notary or Magistrate.
Day 2 to 9
The advertisement booked and published. Allow 2 to 7 days depending on the paper's schedule, then collect the original copy.
State route: the Wednesday cycle
Submission at Bamunimaidan with the Public Notice form, then the Assam Gazette's own publication cycle. Ask the Directorate for the current turnaround.
Central route: then 30 to 45 days
Two to five days to prepare and post, the fee paid on BharatKosh, then publication in Part IV after the file reaches Delhi.
Plan for 3 to 7 weeks on the Central route from Assam, allowing extra postal days from the upper districts and the Barak Valley. If you are running both routes, start them together rather than one after the other, because the same affidavit and advertisement serve both.
Why do Barak Valley names arrive in three spellings?
Because two romanisation traditions meet in one state, and offices read them as different people.
Silchar, Karimganj and Hailakandi run on Bengali as the language of administration up to district level, which Section 5 of the Assam Official Language Act, 1960 provides for in the district of Cachar, and which the April 2025 Cabinet decision preserved for the Barak Valley. Records there often carry Bengali-script origins romanised differently from Brahmaputra Valley conventions, and older entries were transliterated by whoever was at the counter that day.
How the mismatch shows up
- The same surname written Choudhury, Chaudhuri and Chowdhury across three documents in one family
- Given names romanised two ways from the same Bengali spelling, decades apart
- A school certificate from a Bengali-medium institution reading differently from an Aadhaar entered in English
- Brahmaputra Valley offices reading a Barak Valley romanisation as a different name entirely
What fixes it, and what does not
A gazette notification declaring one final spelling fixes it at the root, instead of correcting one document at a time and hoping the next office agrees. What does not fix it is a fresh affidavit for each office, which is what most people try first.
The newspaper choice should follow local circulation rather than a template written for elsewhere. A Bengali daily is the natural regional choice here, with English alongside for a Central file.
Can you do this from Delhi, Bengaluru or abroad?
Yes, entirely by post. And that is usually where the problem is discovered in the first place.
Plenty of Assamese students and professionals move to Delhi, Bengaluru and beyond, and a name mismatch almost never surfaces at home. It surfaces at an employer's verification, a bank KYC in another state, a passport application or a visa file, when a SEBA certificate reads one way and an Aadhaar reads another. Nothing was wrong until two systems had to agree.
The Central Gazette settles it nationwide
- Part IV is valid in every Indian state and recognised by embassies
- The whole file can be prepared and posted from wherever you are
- Family in Assam can send it if that is easier, as long as the papers carry your own signature
- The affidavit can be made where you live now, with your Assam address stated on it
- The advertisement can run in the district you belong to, or where you actually live
If you are going abroad, fix it before the passport
A passport carries the name split into given name and surname fields, and every visa, foreign registration and employer record issued afterwards copies that split. Change the name after the passport and you redo all of it.
From abroad, execute the deed, get it attested by the Indian Embassy or Consulate, publish the notices in your district in Assam, and apply to Delhi by post or courier. Budget around Rs 7,500 to Rs 9,000 all in.
Which parts of Assam do we serve?
Every district, both valleys, and wherever you are currently working. The Central route runs entirely by post, and we can prepare your file from anywhere.
Call 9540005002, WhatsApp 9540005064, or write to support@documentadvisor.in. Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM. For the all-India process, see our complete name change service guide.
Related guides
Other states written up in the same detail, plus the national process, in case your records sit in more than one place.
What do the gazette terms actually mean?
The words that appear on every name change website, and the Assam ones, 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.
- Assam Gazette
- The public journal of the Government of Assam, published by the Directorate of Printing and Stationery at Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21, every Wednesday, in Parts I, II-A, II-B, IX, ADC and Supplement, plus Extra-Ordinary issues.
- Public Notice form
- The prescribed form the Assam procedure asks you to submit, duly filled, along with the application, the affidavit and the original newspaper copy carrying your advertisement.
- Directorate of Printing and Stationery
- The Government of Assam office at Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21 that publishes the Assam Gazette and sets out the state name change and correction procedure on dpns.assam.gov.in.
- Central Gazette
- The Gazette of India, published by the Department of Publication in Civil Lines, Delhi. Accepted across India and by foreign missions.
- 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; the Assam Gazette has its own parts.
- Controller of Publications
- The officer heading the Department of Publication, at Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. There is no Controller of Publications in Assam.
- Affidavit
- A written statement you swear is true, made through a Notary or a Magistrate, recording your current name and address and the proposed new name.
- Proforma
- The prescribed application format the Department of Publication requires on the Central route, computer typed in two copies and signed by you and two witnesses.
- BharatKosh
- The Non-Tax Receipt Portal at bharatkosh.gov.in, the only accepted channel for the Central Gazette fee. Demand drafts were discontinued.
- Assam Official Language Act, 1960
- Act 33 of 1960. Section 3 provides for Assamese for the official purposes of the State, and Section 5 for Bengali up to district level in the district of Cachar. Hindi is not the regional language of Assam.
- 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 issued it. Not a gazette matter.
What do you update after the gazette, and in what order?
The notification is the middle of the journey, not the end. Doing this in the wrong order turns a four week job into a four month one.
| Order | Record | Why it comes here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aadhaar | Almost everything else verifies against Aadhaar. Update it at an enrolment centre with the gazette copy and your identity proof. |
| 2 | PAN card | The correction form asks for proof, and an updated Aadhaar makes this straightforward. |
| 3 | Bank accounts | Banks check the PAN and Aadhaar pair. Updating the bank before those two creates a mismatch you then have to undo. |
| 4 | Passport | Re-issue with the change of name, checking carefully how the given name and surname fields are filled, because that split is what foreign systems read. |
| 5 | Voter ID and driving licence | Straightforward once Aadhaar carries the new name. |
| 6 | EPFO or UAN and insurance | Employer linked records. HR usually needs the notification and the updated Aadhaar together. |
| 7 | SEBA, AHSEC, board and university records | Slowest of the lot. Each board and university runs its own correction process and charges its own fee. |
| 8 | Land, property and business records | Through the registering authority and, where a firm is involved, the GST and business registrations. |
Aadhaar rules are on uidai.gov.in and passport re-issue rules on passportindia.gov.in.
Is a birth certificate mistake a gazette matter in Assam?
No. If the error sits in a birth certificate, whether it is a wrong spelling, a wrong parent name or a missing child name, the fix is a Registrar correction under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. You apply to the body that issued the certificate: the Guwahati Municipal Corporation, your municipal board or the gaon panchayat. The Civil Registration System portal is crsorgi.gov.in.
A gazette notification can support the file, but it does not rewrite the certificate itself, and agents who push every birth certificate case into a gazette application are charging you for the wrong process. The Registrar route is usually both cheaper and faster.
Which special situations come up most in Assam?
Four cases we see constantly.
SEBA, AHSEC and university records
A spelling on a matric or higher secondary certificate that does not match the Aadhaar is one of the commonest reasons people here start the process. The board runs its own correction process, and universities have theirs. The gazette notification supports that application, especially for bigger changes, but the board's own procedure decides the outcome. Ask which gazette the board will accept before choosing a route, because state records often accept the state notification, which is the cheaper path.
Name change after marriage or after divorce
A woman adding her husband's surname follows the same stages with the marriage certificate attached. Reverting to a maiden name after a divorce follows the same route with the decree attached. If you keep using your existing name and nothing on paper changes, you do not need a gazette at all, and no court order is needed for either.
Name change for a minor child
A parent or legal guardian applies on the child's behalf, attaching the child's birth certificate. On the Central route the minor fee applies, commonly Rs 1,700 with the usual revision caveat. Both parents signing avoids objections later, and where a surname is changing after a divorce, expect to provide the other parent's consent or proof of sole custody.
Land, property and business records
A gazette notification does not update a land or property record by itself. Take the published notification to the registering authority, and where a firm is involved to the GST and business registrations, and follow each process. The gazette is the proof you bring, not the update itself.
What changes for Government employees in Assam?
Central Government employees follow the Ministry of Home Affairs Office Memorandum No. 190016/1/87-Estt.(A) dated 12 March 1987: a deed of change of name is executed and routed through the department, so that the service book is updated alongside the gazette notification.
State Government employees in Assam should likewise inform their department rather than doing the gazette quietly. A service record that does not match the published name creates a second problem, usually at promotion or pension, years later. Ask your department one thing before you spend anything: which gazette they want on the record, and in what order, because for state service records the Assam notification is often what is asked for. Send us any departmental circular and we build the file around it.
What names does the law not allow, and what do you gain by doing it properly?
You may take almost any name you like. Almost.
Names that will not be accepted
- A name taken in order to hide your identity
- A name taken to escape a debt, a liability or a legal proceeding
- A name that is obscene or offensive
- A name containing punctuation marks or symbols
- A name that impersonates another person for gain
A change of name does not erase anything behind you. Your old records stay linked through the notification itself, which names both the old and the new name. That is the point of publishing it.
What you gain by doing it legally
- Official recognition that every department works from, public or private
- One exact spelling that Aadhaar, PAN, bank, SEBA and passport records all follow
- A single version that reconciles a Bengali-script romanisation with an English record
- A dated public record you can show any office that questions the change
- No lawyer and no court order needed, because this is an administrative process
What delays Assam applications?
Every one of these is avoidable, and on the Central route the fee is not refundable.
Wrong newspaper, wrong office
- Publishing in a Hindi paper because a copied guide called it the regional language, instead of an Assamese, Bengali or English daily that circulates locally
- Advertising in a stack of national dailies when the state procedure asks for an advertisement in any national or regional daily
- Turning up at Bamunimaidan without the original newspaper copy or the filled Public Notice form
- Travelling to Guwahati from a district without confirming the current checklist and charges first
- Expecting a Central Gazette counter in Assam, when the only one is in Civil Lines, Delhi 110054
In the file itself
- Newspaper details that do not match the affidavit, even by one letter or space
- Submitting a cutting or a photocopy where the original newspaper copy is required
- Documents older than one year in the Central file, or a handwritten proforma where a typed one is required
- Arranging a demand draft instead of paying the Central fee on BharatKosh
- Collecting a deed poll that no Indian process asks for, or waiting for a couriered Gazette copy that will never come
Should you do it yourself or take professional help?
The Assam state route is genuinely doable alone if you live in or near Guwahati: one office, one form, one newspaper.
| Point of comparison | Doing it yourself | Using Documentadvisor |
|---|---|---|
| Money out | Rs 1,000 to Rs 6,000, depending on the route | Government charge plus a quoted service charge |
| Your time | A notary visit, one or two newspaper bookings, and either a trip to Bamunimaidan or the Delhi file and the post | About 30 minutes of sending scans and confirming the wording |
| The Assam specific risk | A wasted trip to Guwahati from Dibrugarh or Silchar, or an advertisement in a paper your district does not read | We confirm the checklist and the right local daily before anything is booked |
| The judgement call | Which route your case needs, and whether this is a gazette matter at all rather than a Registrar or board correction | We settle that first, in writing, before anything is drafted |
| Risk of paying twice | The Central fee is non-refundable, and one mismatch means the file comes back after weeks | Every field and every line checked before anything is submitted |
| Best if | You live near Guwahati, one clear spelling, records staying inside Assam | A passport or visa, a Barak Valley spelling question, a SEBA record, an upper district, or both routes together |
From the upper districts or the Barak Valley the calculation is different, since a wasted trip costs a day and a fare. The judgement worth paying for is which route your case needs, which newspaper actually circulates where you live, and holding one exact spelling across every paper. You can compare the whole range of name change services before deciding.
Your Trust and Security First
A name change means handing your identity documents to someone you have never met. We take that seriously, and we would rather be slow and correct than fast and wrong.
Your documents stay private
Your scans go to one advisor and one file. We do not resell your details, add you to a marketing list, or share your papers outside your case.
We read the state's own procedure
Not a search result. The Assam route on this page comes from the Directorate of Printing and Stationery's own published procedure, which is why this page names an office, an addressee and a form that almost no competing page mentions.
We get the newspaper right
Assamese in the Brahmaputra Valley, Bengali in the Barak Valley, English alongside. Not the Hindi daily that a copied template will send you to.
One exact written form, agreed in writing
Spelling, romanisation and spacing fixed. We send it to you letter by letter and wait for your written confirmation before anything is typed or booked.
One advisor, start to finish
The same person handles your file from the first scan to the published notification, on the same number you first called, whether you are in Silchar or in Bengaluru.
Your originals come back to you
Original newspaper copies and the affidavit come back once the file is accepted, and we keep a scanned set so a lost document years later is not a fresh problem.
Everything You Need, In One Place
One place for the paperwork people find hardest: gazette notifications, affidavits, newspaper advertisements, rental agreements and property papers. Drafted, checked and filed by a team that does it daily.
Document Services
India's trusted documentation consultant and newspaper ad portal
How It Works
Booking a service with Documentadvisor is as easy as 1-2-3. Sit back and let our team do the work.
Book
Call, WhatsApp or fill the form. Tell us your current name, the complete new name you want, your district and where the name has to be accepted, then send clear scans.
Schedule
We confirm the route and the exact written form with you in writing, draft the affidavit, then schedule the advertisement in a daily that genuinely circulates in your district and prepare the file.
Relax
You submit or send the file, and we track it to publication, then send you a written checklist of which record to update next. No wrong paper, no wasted trip.
The questions Google gets asked most about Assam
How can I change my name legally in Assam?
Make an affidavit through a Notary or Magistrate, publish an advertisement in a daily newspaper, then either apply to the Assam Gazette at the Directorate of Printing and Stationery, Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21, or file a Central Gazette application with the Department of Publication in Delhi, depending on where your new name has to work.
Is there a gazette office in Assam?
Yes, for the state gazette. The Directorate of Printing and Stationery at Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21 publishes the Assam Gazette, and the application is addressed to The Publisher, Assam Gazette. There is no Central Gazette office in Assam; that one is in Civil Lines, Delhi 110054.
Which newspaper language should I use in Assam?
Assamese in the Brahmaputra Valley or Bengali in the Barak Valley, with English widely accepted, choosing whichever daily genuinely circulates in your district. Assamese is used for the official purposes of the State under the Assam Official Language Act, 1960, with Bengali provided for in the district of Cachar, so guides recommending Hindi have copied a template from elsewhere.
Do I need one newspaper advertisement or two?
The Assam state procedure asks for an advertisement in any national or regional daily, singular, with the original copy submitted. A Central Gazette file is normally built with two advertisements and complete original pages.
What is the Central Government fee for a gazette name change?
Commonly Rs 1,100 for adults and Rs 1,700 for minors, paid only through bharatkosh.gov.in, with Rs 250 extra where an adult adopts a name of another religion without changing religion. The Department of Publication revises the fee each financial year, so confirm the current amount before paying.
Will the Assam Gazette notification work outside the state?
It is a lawful state notification and it is often exactly what an Assam board or department wants. Offices outside Assam and foreign missions look for Part IV of the Gazette of India. If your new name must work everywhere, use the Central Gazette, or run both.
Start your Assam name change today
Tell us your current name, the complete new name you want, your district and where the name has to be accepted. We will tell you which route your case needs, which daily to advertise in, exactly what the file requires, the total cost and the timeline, before you pay anything.
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Frequently asked questions on name change in Assam
The questions we are asked on the phone every day.
Does Assam have its own gazette route for a name change?
Where exactly do I submit the state application?
What is the Public Notice form?
Should I check with the Directorate before going?
What does the Assam Gazette charge?
Is Hindi the regional language for the newspaper advertisement here?
Which newspaper should Barak Valley applicants use?
How many advertisements do I need?
Is the Assam Gazette notification valid outside the state?
Will my Assam notification appear in Part IV?
How do I pay the Central Gazette fee?
Will a service courier me the Official Gazette?
Do I need a deed poll?
Do I really need a CD for the Central file?
My name is spelled differently across my documents. What fixes it?
Can a gazette alone correct my SEBA certificate?
Can I change my name after marriage without a court order?
My birth certificate has a spelling mistake. Do I need a gazette?
People also search for: Assam Gazette name change, gazette office in Guwahati, Public Notice form Assam, Directorate of Printing and Stationery Assam, name change fees in Assam, SEBA certificate name correction, deed poll in India, name change agent in Guwahati, name change in Silchar Dibrugarh Jorhat, Assamese newspaper name change advertisement.
Where can you verify all of this yourself?
Every fact above can be checked at these sources. Please do check them, and please type the addresses rather than clicking a search result.
- Directorate of Printing and Stationery, Government of AssamThe office at Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21 that publishes the Assam Gazette and sets out the state name change and correction procedure, including the Public Notice form.
- Legislative Department, Government of AssamWhere Assam's Acts are published, including the Assam Official Language Act, 1960, Act 33 of 1960.
- Department of Publication, Government of IndiaThe single Central Gazette office, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, with the published change of name guidelines, the proforma and the current fee.
- The Gazette of India, e-Gazette portalSearch and download published Central Gazette notifications free. Your Part IV notification appears here, and hard copies ceased on 1 October 2015.
- BharatKosh, the Non-Tax Receipt PortalThe only accepted channel for the Central Gazette fee. Demand drafts and direct transfers were discontinued.
- Board of Secondary Education, AssamThe board that issues matric certificates and runs its own correction process for names on them.
- Assam Higher Secondary Education CouncilHigher secondary certificates and the council's own correction process.
- Civil Registration System, Registrar General of IndiaBirth and death registration, and the framework for Registrar corrections under Section 15 of the RBD Act, 1969.
- Unique Identification Authority of IndiaAadhaar name update rules, accepted proofs and enrolment centre locations.
- Government of Assam official portalDepartment listings and district information across both the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys.
The short version
Everything on this page in ten lines
- Assam has two real routes. The state one runs through the Directorate of Printing and Stationery at Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21; the Central one through Civil Lines, Delhi 110054.
- The state application is addressed to The Publisher, Assam Gazette, with a duly filled Public Notice form and the original newspaper copy.
- The state route needs one advertisement, in any national or regional daily. A Central file is normally built with two.
- Hindi is not the regional language here. Assamese in the Brahmaputra Valley, Bengali in the Barak Valley, English alongside.
- Part IV belongs to the Gazette of India only. The Assam Gazette comes out every Wednesday in its own parts.
- Central fee: commonly Rs 1,100 adult and Rs 1,700 minor, plus Rs 250 in one specific case, on BharatKosh only and never by demand draft.
- No official figure is published for the Assam Gazette charges, so ask the Directorate rather than trusting a private site.
- Confirm the current checklist before travelling to Guwahati from a district. A wasted trip costs a day and a fare.
- Nobody couriers you a Gazette. Hard copies ceased on 1 October 2015 and the PDF is free from egazette.gov.in.
- A birth certificate mistake is a Registrar correction under Section 15 of the RBD Act, 1969, through the municipal body or gaon panchayat.
Change your name once, and change it properly
Send us your documents on WhatsApp today. We will tell you which route your case needs, which daily to advertise in, the total cost and the timeline before you pay anything. Guwahati, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Nagaon, every district, and applicants working outside the state.