Name Change Affidavit helps you officially switch your name for personal, cultural, or legal reasons. Sometimes, as life goes on, you might want a different name, and this affidavit makes the process simple and clear.
If you’ve ever thought about getting a new name for good reasons, this affidavit is like a dependable tool to help you. Let’s start this journey to change your name, where the name you pick becomes an official paper that you can show to the right people.
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Understanding the Name Change Affidavit
The Affidavit for Change of Name holds significant importance as it offers an official and structured way for individuals to change their name and ensure that the new name is recognized by legal, social, and official entities. This document serves as a formal declaration of the name change and provides legal validity to the new name.
Let’s understand this importance through an example:
Consider the case of Aarav Sharma, a young professional in India who has decided to change his first name to Arjun. Aarav believes that the name Arjun better reflects his identity and personality. To ensure that his new name is recognized and accepted by various institutions, Aarav chooses to create an Affidavit for Change of Name.
By creating the affidavit, Aarav is able to:
- Legally Validate the Name Change: The affidavit serves as legal validation of Aarav’s decision to change his name to Arjun. It provides a formal declaration of the name change that is recognized by legal authorities.
- Notify Relevant Entities: Aarav’s affidavit allows him to notify government agencies, educational institutions, banks, and other entities about the change. This ensures that his updated name is accurately reflected in official records.
- Simplify Official Transactions: Having an name change affidavit streamlines various official transactions, such as updating his Aadhaar card, passport, bank accounts, and employment records with the new name.
- Social Recognition: The affidavit ensures that Aarav’s new name, Arjun, is accepted socially and culturally, enabling him to use the name comfortably in everyday interactions.
- Avoid Confusion: By creating an affidavit, Aarav avoids confusion and potential discrepancies that might arise due to using different names across various documents and platforms.
- Maintain Identity: The affidavit helps Aarav maintain a consistent identity in both personal and professional spheres, preventing any mismatch between his name and his self-perception.
In this example, the Name Change Affidavit plays a crucial role in allowing Aarav Sharma to officially change his name to Arjun. The affidavit provides legal recognition, facilitates smooth updates across official records, and ensures that Aarav’s identity transition is recognized and respected in both legal and social contexts.
Uses of Name Change Affidavit
It is said that the name change affidavit is often used in the Courts of law. But Name Change Affidavit can be used in very normal, cut-and-dry situations as well, like applying for a passport, in case of property issues, in cases where someone wants their name changed or when an address proof is needed, etc.
The Name Change Affidavit serves several practical purposes when needing to adopt a new name:
- Personal Choice: Use this affidavit to change your name according to your personal preference and identity.
- Cultural Reasons: Adopt a name that aligns with your cultural practices, beliefs, or family traditions.
- Professional Identity: Change your name to reflect your professional identity or artistic persona.
- Marriage or Divorce: Adjust your name due to marriage, divorce, or change in marital status.
- Gender Transition: Reflect your gender identity by adopting a new name that aligns with your true self.
- Spiritual Transformation: Choose a name that resonates with your spiritual or religious beliefs.
Name Change Affidavit Format
The affidavit format for name change varies slightly depending on the jurisdiction, but it generally includes the following sections:
- Title: The document should be titled Name Change Affidavit.
- Personal information: The individual’s full current name, date of birth, place of birth, and address should be provided.
- Statement of intent: A clear declaration of the individual’s intention to change their name, specifying both the current and desired name, should be included.
- Legal reason: A brief explanation of the legal reason for the name change must be provided.
- Oath and verification: The individual must swear or affirm that the information provided in the affidavit is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge.
- Notarization: The notary public’s signature, seal, and commission expiration date must be included.
Stamp paper denomination required for name change affidavit
| State | Stamp Duty (₹) |
|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | 10 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 10 |
| Assam | 100 |
| Bihar | 100 |
| Chhattisgarh | 5 |
| Goa | 20 |
| Gujarat | 50 |
| Haryana | 10 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 10 |
| Jharkhand | 4.20 |
| Karnataka | 20 |
| Kerala | 10 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 50 |
| Maharashtra | 100 |
| Manipur | 3.60 |
| Meghalaya | 7 |
| Mizoram | 7 |
| Nagaland | 10 |
| Odisha | 10 |
| Punjab | 5 |
| Rajasthan | 50 |
| Sikkim | 50 |
| Tamil Nadu | 20 |
| Telangana | 20 |
| Tripura | 50 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 10 |
| Uttarakhand | 10 |
| West Bengal | 10 |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 10 |
| Chandigarh | 15 |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 20 |
| Lakshadweep | 100 |
| Delhi | 10 |
| Puducherry | 1 |
| Ladakh | 10 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 10 |