Name Change in a Driving Licence in West Bengal: An Amendment, Not a Renewal
Most failed applications here start with one wrong click. Changing the name on a licence is an amendment to an existing licence, filed under Form 7, and it sits in a different place on the portal from renewal and duplicate. Start it online on Sarathi, finish it at the RTO, and afterwards tell your insurer, because a policy in your old name is a claim held up.
Get Call and Name Change Format
How to Change Your Name on a Driving Licence (Quick Answer)
Go to Parivahan, choose driving licence related services, select West Bengal, and you land on the state Sarathi system. Enter your licence number and date of birth, confirm the details and address shown, authenticate with the OTP to your registered mobile, then choose the change of name option under changes to an existing licence. This is an amendment, Form 7, under Rule 27 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, not a renewal and not a duplicate. Pay the fee, commonly around Rs 200, upload your documents, and attend the RTO for biometrics and verification of originals. Your licence number does not change. Expect 7 to 15 working days after verification, up to about 30. Then tell your insurer, and remember the registration certificate is a separate record.
| What it is | An amendment to an existing licence, Form 7, under Rule 27 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules |
| Not | A renewal, and not a duplicate. Choosing those is the commonest mistake |
| Where | parivahan.gov.in, then the West Bengal Sarathi system |
| Authentication | e-KYC with an OTP to your registered mobile |
| Fee | Commonly around Rs 200; some sources quote up to Rs 500 with ancillary charges |
| RTO visit | Usually required for biometrics, photograph and verification of originals |
| Licence number | Unchanged; a fresh card is issued with the corrected name |
| Proof for a change of name | Gazette notification; practice on spelling fixes and marriage cases varies by RTO |
| Time | 7 to 15 working days after verification, up to about 30 |
| Afterwards | Update your insurance KYC, and deal with the RC separately |
On This Page
Driving Licence Amendment, Renewal or Duplicate: Choose the Right Service
| Service | What it is for | Is it yours? |
|---|---|---|
| Amendment or endorsement, Form 7 | Changing particulars on an existing licence: name, father's name, date of birth, address | Yes, for a name change or correction |
| Renewal | A licence that has expired or is about to | No, unless it is also due |
| Duplicate | A lost or damaged card, with no change of details | No, if the details are changing |
| Change of address | A move, which can often be done alongside | Only if you have moved |
On the portal the option is usually worded as changes in an existing licence rather than being labelled Form 7, which is exactly why people click renewal. The legal basis for changing particulars is Rule 27 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules.
Does the RTO Need a Gazette for a Driving Licence Name Change?
There is no single national answer here, and pages that give you one are guessing. For a genuine change of name, the gazette is what establishes the new name and is generally expected. For a spelling correction, or a surname taken after marriage, many offices accept an existing identity document, a marriage certificate, or a notarised affidavit together with the newspaper notices.
Practice differs between RTOs, and the person at the counter decides. So the useful step costs nothing: ask your RTO first, describe your case in one sentence, and find out what that office wants before you spend on a gazette you may not need.
If you need one anyway
Most people updating a licence are updating everything else too, and Aadhaar, PAN and a bank will each ask for proof. Where the name has genuinely changed, the gazette pays for itself across the whole set rather than being a licence expense.
Kolkata Gazette Part II Process for a Licence Name Change
A driving licence is a West Bengal record, so an adult resident of the state can use the Kolkata Gazette Part II, which is published in about a week. This is the route for most licence cases.
Fix the exact new name
Spelling, spacing and surname order, decided once and used identically on the affidavit, both newspapers, the gazette application and then the Sarathi form.
Affidavit before a First Class Judicial Magistrate
The Part II portal asks you to enter the affidavit number and the Magistrate's name, so a notary will not serve for this route. On non-judicial stamp paper in your own name, with the declaration that both names refer to one and the same person. Sign in the old name.
Notices in two daily newspapers
One Bengali and one English daily. Classified text under change of name is enough; keep the complete pages with masthead and date.
Apply on the Part II portal
Change of Name, or Change of Surname where only the surname moves, with identity proof under 2 MB and a photograph under 100 KB.
Pay Rs 1,100 on GRIPS
The state fee, online, against your own reference. Nobody should collect it in cash.
Download within about a week, then Aadhaar
The notification is issued within 7 days of a complete file. Update Aadhaar with it, then start the Sarathi amendment.
Central Gazette Process for a Licence Name Change
Use the Gazette of India instead in three situations: a passport is also being changed, the person is a minor, or you live outside West Bengal. The adult fee matches the state route but it takes several times longer, so do not choose it by accident.
Fix the exact new name
Everything after this copies it: the affidavit, both newspapers, the proforma, Aadhaar and finally the licence.
Notarised affidavit
On non-judicial stamp paper in your own name, giving the old name, the new full name, parentage, address and reason, with the one-and-the-same-person declaration. A notary is enough here, unlike the state route. Sign in the old name and swear it close to filing, since an affidavit older than about a year is questioned.
Notices in two daily newspapers
One Bengali and one English daily, classified text under change of name. Keep the complete pages, not clippings, and buy two or three copies of each.
Typed proforma with two witnesses
The Department of Publication's own proforma, typed rather than handwritten, carrying the old and new name, signed by two witnesses who sign in your old name.
Pay on BharatKosh
Rs 1,100 for an adult and Rs 1,700 for a minor, higher for an applicant living abroad, plus a charge per alias where the file carries one. Paid online against your own reference.
Post the file to Delhi in your own name
Affidavit, both complete newspaper pages, the typed proforma, identity and address proof, photographs, the BharatKosh receipt, and a soft copy with a certificate that it matches the typed text. To the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. Agents may not file in their own name.
Publication, then the free download
Usually 30 to 45 days from the file reaching Delhi, against about a week for the state route. Download it free from egazette.gov.in and check it the same day, because the corrigendum window is limited.
State or central, in one line
No passport, adult, living in West Bengal: state, about a week. Passport, minor, or outside the state: central, 30 to 45 days. For a licence alone, the state route is almost always right.
Read further
Update Aadhaar and PAN Before the Driving Licence
Gazette, where the name genuinely changed
State route for a West Bengal adult, about a week.
Aadhaar
Sarathi authenticates through your Aadhaar-linked mobile, and the RTO reads your documents. Aadhaar name change.
PAN and bank
Tax and KYC failures cost more than a licence delay. PAN correction.
Driving licence, then the RC and the insurer
The licence first, then the registration certificate if you own a vehicle, then one letter to the insurer covering both.
How to Apply for Driving Licence Name Change on Sarathi
Open Parivahan and pick West Bengal
Online services, driving licence related services, then your state. You are redirected to the state Sarathi system.
Enter your licence number and date of birth
Your details appear. Check them, then select the state and your RTO and proceed.
Confirm the address and authenticate
Your registered address is shown. Confirm it, then generate the OTP to your registered mobile and authenticate with Sarathi.
Choose change of name in DL
Under changes to an existing licence. Not renewal, not duplicate. Enter the new name exactly as your proof prints it.
Upload documents and pay
Licence, proof of the name, Aadhaar, address proof and photographs. Read the fee on the payment screen and save the acknowledgement number.
Attend the RTO for verification
Biometrics, photograph and originals checked. Book a slot if your RTO requires one, and take the acknowledgement with you.
Driving Licence Name Change Fee and Time in West Bengal
The amendment fee is commonly quoted at about Rs 200, with some sources quoting up to Rs 500 once ancillary charges are included. Fees are prescribed under the rules and are revised from time to time, so the figure that matters is the one the portal displays when you pay, not any published number.
On timing, expect 7 to 15 working days after the RTO has verified your documents, and up to about 30 days where further checks are needed. Add the gazette in front of that if one is required: about a week for the state route, 30 to 45 days for the central one.
Check the delivery address
The new card is posted to the address on record. If you have moved, deal with the address at the same time rather than watching a licence go to your old flat.
Update Vehicle Insurance and the RC After a Licence Name Change
A motor insurance policy is tied to the driver. If the licence says one name and the policy says another, the claims team has to reconcile the difference before settling, and that is a delay at exactly the moment you can least afford one. Once the new licence arrives, send your insurer a copy with the gazette or the marriage certificate and ask for a KYC update.
The registration certificate of a vehicle is a separate record with its own application to the RTO. Correcting the licence does not touch it. If you own a vehicle, do both, then write to the insurer once covering the pair. Correcting the name on a vehicle RC, which is a correction and not a transfer.
While you are at it
FASTag, the vehicle loan account and any commercial permit read the same records. Fix the licence and RC first, then let everything else follow from the corrected pair.
Driving Licence Name Change Mistakes That Waste a Trip to the RTO
Choosing renewal or duplicate
A name change is an amendment. The wrong service means starting again.
Buying a gazette before asking the RTO
For a spelling fix or a marriage surname, many offices accept less. Ask first; it costs nothing.
Applying before Aadhaar is updated
Authentication and verification both lean on it.
Going to the RTO without originals
Verification is of originals, with self-attested copies. A photocopy-only visit is a wasted morning.
Leaving the insurer uninformed
A mismatch surfaces at claim time, which is the worst moment to discover it.
Assuming the RC updates itself
It is a separate record and a separate application.
Driving Licence Name Change in West Bengal: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my name on a driving licence in West Bengal?
Apply for an amendment to an existing licence, not a renewal and not a duplicate. Start on the Parivahan portal, choose driving licence related services, select West Bengal, and you are taken to the state Sarathi system. Enter your licence number and date of birth, confirm the details and address shown, authenticate with an OTP to your registered mobile, then choose change of name. Pay the fee, upload the documents and attend the RTO for verification when asked.
Which form is it?
Form 7 in practice, the application to amend or endorse an existing licence. The power to change particulars sits under Rule 27 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules. On the portal it appears as an amendment or changes in existing DL option rather than being labelled with the form number, which is why people click renewal by mistake.
Can the whole thing be done online?
The application, the fee and tracking are online in most states. An RTO visit is still commonly required for biometrics, a photograph and verification of your original documents, and West Bengal RTOs generally expect you in person for that step. Treat the online part as the paperwork and the RTO as the appointment.
What does it cost?
The amendment fee is commonly quoted at around Rs 200, with some sources quoting up to Rs 500 once ancillary charges are counted. Fees are set under the rules and revised, so read the amount the portal shows at the payment screen rather than trusting any published figure.
Do I need a gazette notification?
It depends on the case and, honestly, on the RTO. For a genuine change of name a gazette is what establishes the new name and is generally expected. For a spelling correction or a surname taken after marriage, many offices accept an existing identity document, a marriage certificate, or a notarised affidavit with the newspaper notices. Practice varies between RTOs, so ask yours before spending anything.
Which gazette, state or central?
A driving licence is a West Bengal record, so an adult resident can normally use the Kolkata Gazette Part II, which publishes in about a week. The Gazette of India is needed where a passport is also involved, where the person is a minor, or where you live outside the state.
How long does it take?
Commonly 7 to 15 working days once the RTO has verified your documents, and up to about 30 days where further verification is needed. The new licence is delivered to the address on record, so make sure that address is current before you apply.
Does my licence number change?
No. An amendment updates the particulars on your existing licence, so the number stays the same and a fresh card is issued carrying the corrected name.
Should I update Aadhaar first?
Yes. The Sarathi authentication uses your Aadhaar-linked mobile, and the RTO reads your supporting documents. Gazette where needed, then Aadhaar, then PAN, then the licence.
Do I have to tell my insurer?
Yes, and this is the step people skip. A motor insurance policy is tied to the driver, so a licence in one name and a policy in another means the claims team must reconcile the difference before settling, which delays payouts. Once the new licence arrives, send your insurer a copy with the gazette or marriage certificate and ask for a KYC update.
Does my vehicle registration certificate change too?
No. The RC is a separate record with its own application to the RTO, so a name corrected on the licence does not correct itself on the RC. If you own a vehicle, deal with both, and tell the insurer once.
What if my licence was issued in another state?
Amendments are generally handled by the RTO that holds your record, so a licence issued elsewhere may need to be dealt with there or transferred first. Ask your local RTO what it will accept before you file anything.
Official Sources for Driving Licence Name Change in West Bengal
Parivahan Sewa
parivahan.gov.in: driving licence related services, the Sarathi entry point, fees and application status.
Transport Department, West Bengal
transport.wb.gov.in: RTO locations and state procedure.
Practice varies by RTO
What one office accepts as proof of a name, another may not. Ask your own RTO before spending, and treat the portal's fee screen as the authority on cost.
Driving Licence and Vehicle Records in West Bengal: The Complete Series
The licence amendment, and the vehicle record that does not update itself.
Get Call and Name Change Format
Ask Your RTO First. Then Let Us Prepare What It Asks For
Every RTO has its own view on what proves a name. Find out what yours wants, tell us, and we prepare exactly that, usually the state gazette that publishes in about a week. Monday to Saturday, across West Bengal.