Karnataka Gazette Notification for Passport Name Change — Bangalore RTO Guide (2026)

By Meera Subramaniam | Document Consultant, Bangalore | 9 years handling gazette and passport filings across Karnataka

If your name has been changed due to reasons such as marriage or divorce, or if it’s been your personal decision to do so and now you wish to update your passport, the Karnataka Gazette notification is one such document that will be required. The Passport Seva Kendras in Bangalore require it in some cases, and the confusion over when it’s required and when it’s not has caused delays in several applications that I have come across.

This post is about that one document. Not about changing your name in general. About the Karnataka Gazette notification for name change when your goal is updating your passport.

What Is a Karnataka Gazette Notification, Exactly?

The Karnataka Gazette is the journal of the state government. When your notice of name change is published in that journal, it is officially recorded. That is exactly what is meant by that. It is not just paperwork. It is officially traceable that you used to be one name but now you have another.

The Department of Printing, Stationery, and Publications is responsible for this. This is part of the Karnataka Government. Your notice is published in the official journal, which is known as Part IV-A of the Gazette or in the e-Gazette Karnataka portal.

What it is not: A court affidavit, newspaper ad, or deed poll. Those are three other distinct documents. Your notice in the gazette is not independent of them.

Does Every Passport Name Change Require a Karnataka Gazette Notification?

No. And this is where most people waste time before even starting the process.

Passport Seva Kendra Bangalore (and its PSK counters) follows the guidelines of the MEA. In the case of a name change after marriage, a marriage certificate along with the old and new passports is sufficient. The gazette notification requirement arises in certain circumstances:

• You're changing to an entirely new name, as opposed to adding to your surname with your spouse's
• Your name change isn't covered by any of the standard supporting documents
• Your new name is significantly different from what appears on your existing government-issued ID documents

I have had clients walk in with newspaper ads alone, thinking they're sufficient. They're not, for a passport, however. The Passport Seva Kendra Bangalore passport submission desk is particular about this. It's the combination of the affidavit, newspaper publication, and notification in the Karnataka Gazette that satisfies the documentation requirement for an entire name change.

For a marriage-related, uncomplicated name change, you may want to verify with PSK before going ahead with the gazette publication, which you might not need.

Karnataka Gazette Notification for Passport Name Change — Documents You Need

These are the documents you'll be preparing beforehand:

Affidavit – notarized, written on non-judicial stamp paper. The affidavit should include details of the old and new names, reason for changing the name, and declaration of not having given any previous notification. Get it done through a notary, though some agents might also do it and you just sign it in front of the notary.

Identity proof – Aadhaar, PAN, or current passport.

Address proof – similar documents – utility bill, bank statement, or Aadhaar showing Karnataka address.

Two passport photos – recent, light-colored background. These should not be the same photos you've submitted in your current passport application – the counters have already caught people trying to do that!

Existing passport – scan of front and back pages, and address pages if you've already done that separately.

For Karnataka Gazette notification of documents submission for passport name change:

The affidavit is the document that will be reproduced in the notification verbatim. So, be careful when drafting it. Any mistakes in the affidavit will mean mistakes in the notification permanently.

How to Apply — Step by Step

Step 1: Draft the affidavit Obtain the standard format for a name change affidavit. A notary in your location will be able to assist. Some typing centers near government offices also have templates. Ensure that both names are visible on the document, as it is published in the gazette office.

Step 2: Get it notarized:. This involves signing in front of a registered notary. The notary fee is around ₹100 to ₹200, depending on your location. Some notaries charge more in commercial areas in Bangalore. However, notaries in Jayanagar and Rajajinagar are reasonably priced.

Step 3: Submit it at the Karnataka Gazette Office The Karnataka Gazette Office is located in Bengaluru. The address is Government Press, Mysore Road, Bangalore – 560 019. You can simply walk in on working days with two copies of the complete set.

Step 4: Wait for publication The notices are put in a queue, and publication is done in batches depending on the volume of publication that month – weekly or fortnightly.

Step 5: Download the e-Gazette Karnataka notification Once the publication is done, it is available online on the Karnataka e-Gazette portal. This is your official document. Take a printout – PSK requires a printout.

Step 6: Submit to PSK Bangalore Book an appointment and carry the notification, affidavit, ID proofs, old passport, and photos with you. To submit the Karnataka Gazette notification to Bangalore Passport Seva Kendra, you should carry the printout and one photocopy of the notification.

Karnataka Gazette Name Change Notification Fees — Bangalore 2026

The fee structure as of early 2026:

The publication fee of the government gazette varies between ₹400 and ₹600, depending upon the number of words in your notification.

What's extra in this case:

The affidavit fees, the notary fees, and if you are hiring an agent, their service fees, which can vary between ₹800 and ₹2,500 depending upon which agent you hire. Agents may also add the publication fees of your newspaper in this case. That's an extra charge, though not mandatory, but something which is being promoted by them because their commission is involved.

The Karnataka Gazette name change notification fees Bangalore 2026:

• Gazette publication fee: ~₹400–₹600
• Affidavit drafting (if outsourced): ₹200–₹500
• Notary charges: ₹100–₹200
• Agent service fees (optional): ₹800–₹2,500

You can do this without an agent. It's paperwork, not litigation.

How Many Days for Karnataka Gazette Notification Approval?

Honestly, this varies. I have seen them publish within 10 working days. I have also seen them take nearly 30 days.

The general time frame that people quote for this process is between 15-21 working days from the time of submission to publication. The approval of the notification for the Karnataka Gazette notification does not have a fixed official answer, as the government does not give any information on the expected time of publication.

What helps this process along is submitting early in the week, ensuring that your documents are all completed, and calling up around the time of the 10-working-day mark. The office is reachable, and a polite phone call can help this along more than once.

I would not book your PSK appointment until you have the printout of your gazette in hand. Rescheduling your appointment is possible but a waste of time and sometimes money.

Karnataka Gazette Notification Download — How to Get It

Once your notification is published, go to the Karnataka Government's official e-gazette portal. You may search using your name or the gazette publication date if available. Download the relevant part IV A notification in PDF format.

You may print it. It is not required to print in color. Black and white is acceptable, and the PSK counter will accept it.

It is good to keep some copies handy. You may need the gazette notification for some reason beyond the passport itself.

One Thing I'd Tell Anyone Starting This Process

One Thing I'd Tell Anyone Starting This Process

Start earlier than you think you need to. The gazette publication timeline is beyond your control once you submit. If your passport is expiring or if you have travel coming up, start six to eight weeks from the day you notarize your affidavit. The PSK appointment queue is additional time beyond the gazette wait time.

This is the part that people tend to underestimate. Not the process, mind you. The timeline.

Information in this guide reflects processes current as of March 2026. Government fees and procedures can change without notice — confirm with the Karnataka Government Press and Passport Seva Kendra Bangalore before filing.