FAQs
Passport name change in Karnataka: FAQs
How do I change my name in my passport in Karnataka?
Apply for a reissue on the Passport Seva portal under “Change in Existing Personal Particulars”, pay the fee, book a Passport Seva Kendra slot and attend with your originals. Submit the marriage certificate or Annexure J for a married surname, the decree for a divorce, and an affidavit, two newspaper notices and a gazette only for a genuinely new name.
Is it a reissue, a renewal, or a fresh passport?
A reissue. A renewal replaces an expiring booklet with no change of particulars, and a fresh passport is for someone who has never held one. Choosing the wrong category on the portal is a common and entirely avoidable rejection.
Do I need a gazette for a passport name change?
Not for a married surname or a reversion after divorce. You need one for a genuinely new name, and for moving a word between the Surname and Given Name fields. We sell gazette filings, so please take that in the spirit it is written.
How much does a passport name change cost?
Rs 1,500 for a 36-page ten-year booklet on the normal track and Rs 2,000 for 60 pages, with Rs 2,000 more for Tatkaal in each case. A minor’s five-year booklet is Rs 1,000. The gazette route adds an affidavit, two newspaper notices and the gazette fee on top.
Is the fee refunded if my application is rejected?
No. That is the strongest argument for getting Aadhaar and PAN to agree with your intended name before you apply rather than after. A rejection costs the fee again, another appointment and another day of leave.
How long does it take?
About 30 to 45 days end to end on the normal track and considerably less on Tatkaal. If your case needs a gazette, add three to eight weeks in front of that for publication.
Do I get a new passport number?
Yes. Every reissue produces a new booklet with a new number. Update it wherever it is on file: bank FATCA records, in-progress visa applications, your employer, insurance and frequent-flyer accounts. This catches people out months later.
What happens to my old passport?
It is cancelled, usually by a stamp or a clipped corner, and returned to you. Keep it. It is your only physical record of your visas and your travel history, and airlines may want to see it.
Are my existing visas still valid?
They stay physically in the cancelled booklet and nothing transfers across. Whether you can travel on them is the issuing country’s decision, not India’s. A name change is the particular complication, because the visa carries a name you no longer hold. Ask the consulate before you book.
Can I travel carrying both passports?
Often yes, where the destination country permits it, and airlines will usually want to see both at check-in. Confirm with the consulate in advance rather than discovering the answer at the airport.
I have flights booked in my maiden name. What should I do?
The name on your ticket must match the travel document you present. Either change the booking or delay the passport application until after the trip. There is no legal deadline for changing your passport name after marriage.
Do I have to change my passport name after marriage at all?
No. There is no deadline and no penalty for keeping your maiden name on your passport. If you hold a valuable multi-year visa, doing this between trips rather than before one is usually the cheaper decision.
How do I change my surname after marriage?
Marriage certificate, or Annexure J if the marriage was never registered, plus your existing passport and current address proof. Only the Surname field changes and your Given Name is untouched. No gazette, no newspaper notice, no affidavit.
What is Annexure J?
A self-attested joint declaration signed by both spouses, carrying a joint photograph, that the Ministry of External Affairs accepts in place of a registered marriage certificate. It exists for couples whose marriage was never registered, which is very common.
How do I revert to my maiden name after divorce?
Submit a certified copy of the divorce decree, along with an affidavit if you are reverting the surname. No gazette is required for this. Your existing passport and current address proof complete the file.
Which field of my passport actually changes?
An Indian passport holds two separate fields, Surname and Given Name. A married surname change touches only the Surname field. A first-name spelling correction touches only Given Name. A completely new name touches both, and so does moving a word from one field to the other.
I have only one name and no surname. What should I do?
Indian passports allow a blank Surname field with the name in Given Name, but many countries’ immigration systems cannot read that, which is why applicants are often advised to adopt a surname. Understand that doing so is a full name change rather than a correction, and it needs the gazette route.
Is police verification required?
For a reissue with clean records it is commonly done after the passport is dispatched rather than before. A change of name can prompt the Regional Passport Office to order verification first instead. It is the RPO’s decision and consistent documents are the only part you control.
Does a name change affect my ECR or Non-ECR status?
No. Emigration Check status is decided by your education documents, not your name. If you were Non-ECR before the change, you remain Non-ECR afterwards. A wrong ECR status is a separate correction with its own proof.
Can I use Tatkaal for a name change?
Often, and it adds Rs 2,000 to the fee while cutting the wait considerably. It is not available for every change of particulars, so confirm on the portal before you rely on it. Tatkaal buys a faster appointment, not a shortcut through the documents.
Should I change Aadhaar and PAN before the passport?
Yes, in that order. Aadhaar first, then PAN, then the passport last. The passport office checks consistency across your records, and a mismatch is the single most common rejection.
What if my marriage certificate has no photograph?
Add Annexure J. The joint declaration with a joint photograph supplies the photo link that the certificate is missing, and it is accepted for exactly this situation.
Where do I apply in Karnataka?
Online on the Passport Seva portal, then in person at a Passport Seva Kendra. Karnataka has Kendras in Bangalore, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi and Kalaburagi among others, plus Post Office Passport Seva Kendras in smaller towns.
What happens at the Passport Seva Kendra?
Three counters. Counter A takes your photograph and fingerprints, Counter B verifies your documents against the originals, and Counter C grants the application. Carry every original plus one self-attested copy of each.
Can I change my child’s name on their passport?
Yes. Both parents sign Annexure D, and where one parent cannot or will not, Annexure C or Annexure G applies depending on the circumstances. A child’s booklet is valid five years or until 18, and the fee is Rs 1,000.
Which gazette should I use for a passport, State or Central?
The Central Gazette, the Gazette of India. The Karnataka State Gazette is cheaper and reliable within the State, but a passport file is a central-government file and the Gazette of India is what it expects to see.
What is the most common reason for a delay?
A spelling that varies by one letter across the affidavit, the newspaper notice, the application and your existing records. Write the name once on a single sheet and copy from it every time rather than typing it fresh.
Do I need to submit the whole newspaper page?
Yes, on the gazette route. The full page with the masthead and the publication date visible, from both the English and the Kannada paper. A clipped advertisement does not prove where or when the notice appeared.
My passport has already expired. Does that change anything?
No, the same reissue route applies and you can change the name at the same time. There is no advantage in renewing first and changing the name afterwards, and doing it in one application saves you a fee.
Is it worth paying someone to handle this?
For a married surname or a divorce reversion, honestly no — the document list is short and the portal is manageable. Paid help earns its fee on a full legal name change, where the affidavit, two notices and the gazette all have to line up, or where a previous application has already been rejected.
