Voter ID Name Change in West Bengal: One Free Form That Does Four Jobs
This is the cheapest name change you will make, because correcting your entry in the electoral roll costs nothing. What trips people up is the form itself: Form 8 handles corrections, shifting of residence, replacing a card and disability marking, and picking the wrong option wastes a fortnight. There is also a rule almost nobody mentions, which is that the old card goes back once the new one arrives.
Get Call and Name Change Format
How to Change Your Name on a Voter ID (Quick Answer)
File Form 8 on the Election Commission's Voters' Services Portal, on the Voter Helpline app, or on paper at the electoral office. Log in with your mobile or EPIC number, choose correction of entries rather than one of the other three options, enter the corrected name, give your Aadhaar number for authentication, upload a document carrying the correct name and submit. Keep the reference number. It is free. Your Booth Level Officer verifies, and the whole thing commonly takes two to four weeks, with up to about 30 days allowed. On approval a new EPIC is issued and the old card is to be returned to the ERO. For a real change of name rather than a spelling fix, publish the gazette first: for a West Bengal adult with no passport involved, the Kolkata Gazette Part II is usually the right route and takes about a week.
| Form | Form 8, correction of entries in the electoral roll |
| Where | voters.eci.gov.in, the Voter Helpline app, or on paper at the electoral office |
| Fee | Nil. Correcting your entry is free |
| Authentication | EPIC number plus Aadhaar number, with mobile and email (mismatch?) |
| Proof for a correction | An existing document carrying the correct name |
| Proof for a change of name | Gazette notification; Kolkata Gazette Part II is usually enough for a West Bengal adult |
| Who verifies | Your Booth Level Officer, then the Electoral Registration Officer |
| Time | Commonly 2 to 4 weeks; up to about 30 days |
| Result | A new EPIC, with the old card to be returned to the ERO |
| Surname | Not compulsory on the electoral roll |
On This Page
- Form 8 does four jobs: pick the right one
- Correction or change of name
- State gazette process, step by step
- Central gazette process, step by step
- Filing Form 8
- The new EPIC, and returning the old card
- When the portal will not cooperate
- Where the voter ID sits in the order
- Mistakes that waste a fortnight
- FAQ
- Enquiry form
Voter ID Form 8: Correction, Shifting, Replacement and Disability Marking
| Option | What it is for | Is it yours? |
|---|---|---|
| Correction of entries | Fixing name, parent's name, date of birth, gender and other details in the roll (relative's name guide) | Yes, for a name change or correction |
| Shifting of residence | Moving to a new address within or outside the constituency | Only if you have moved |
| Replacement of EPIC | A lost or damaged card, with no change to the entry | No, if the details are changing |
| Marking as person with disability | Recording PwD status for assistance at the polling station | Separate purpose |
Choosing the wrong option is the commonest reason a Form 8 comes back doing nothing useful. If you are both changing your name and moving house, deal with both in the form rather than filing twice.
Voter ID Name Correction or a Real Change of Name
A correction
The roll spells your name wrongly, or carries an initial where your other documents show the full form. Upload a document that already carries the correct name, typically Aadhaar, and no gazette is involved. This is most cases, and it is free.
A change of name
You are now known by a different name, after marriage, divorce, adoption or by choice. Nothing you hold yet carries it, so the gazette creates the proof, and the Form 8 upload uses that. The gazette costs money; the Form 8 still does not.
Voter ID after marriage · Correction or change: the decision table.
Kolkata Gazette Part II Process for a Voter ID, Step by Step
For a voter ID there is usually no need to go to Delhi. A voter record is a West Bengal record, so an adult resident can use the Kolkata Gazette Part II, which is cheaper in time and published in about a week. The Gazette of India is for cases where a passport is also involved, where the person is a minor, or where you live outside the state.
Fix the exact new name
Spelling, spacing and surname order, written once and used identically on the affidavit, the newspaper notices, the gazette application and then Form 8.
Affidavit before a First Class Judicial Magistrate
For the state route, because the Part II portal asks you to type the affidavit number and the Magistrate's name. A notarised affidavit is the practice for the central route instead. Sign in the old name.
Notices in two daily newspapers
One Bengali and one English daily. Classified text under change of name; keep the complete pages with masthead and date.
Apply online on the Part II portal
Change of Name, or Change of Surname where only the surname moves. ID under 2 MB and photograph under 100 KB, with the application number in the WB/PART-II format.
Pay Rs 1,100 on GRIPS
The state fee, paid online against your own reference. Nobody should be collecting it in cash.
Download within about a week
The notification is issued within 7 days of a complete file and downloaded from the portal. That is the document Form 8 will carry.
Use it for Aadhaar, then Form 8
The downloaded notification is your proof. Update Aadhaar with it first, then upload it with Form 8. If your case is a passport, a minor or life outside West Bengal, this route does not apply and the central process below does.
The state portal, screen by screen · Which gazette a case needs.
Central Gazette Process for a Name Change, Step by Step
Use the Gazette of India instead of the state route in three situations: a passport is also being changed, the person is a minor, or you live outside West Bengal. It costs the same as the state route for an adult but takes far longer, so do not choose it by accident.
Fix the exact new name
Spelling, spacing and surname order, decided once. The affidavit, both newspapers, the proforma, Aadhaar and finally Form 8 all copy it.
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 declaration that both names refer to one and the same person. A notary is enough here, unlike the state route which wants a First Class Judicial Magistrate. 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 is enough. Keep the complete pages with masthead and date rather than 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, and the receipt goes into the file.
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 of the notification text with a certificate that it matches the typed version. Addressed to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. The application is expected from the applicant; 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 window for a corrigendum is limited. Then Aadhaar, then Form 8.
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 voter ID alone, the state route is almost always the right answer.
Read further
How to File Form 8 for a Voter ID Name Change Online
Log in
On voters.eci.gov.in with your mobile number, email or EPIC number, or open the Voter Helpline app. Register first if you have never used it.
Open Form 8 and choose correction of entries
Select self, confirm the record that appears, and check that the state, district and constituency shown are right.
Enter Aadhaar, mobile and email
The Aadhaar number is used for authentication alongside your EPIC number.
Tick the name field and type the new name
Exactly as your proof prints it. If more than one entry is wrong, tick each field rather than filing again later.
Upload the supporting document
Aadhaar for a correction, or the gazette page for a change of name. A clear, complete scan; cropped uploads get rejected.
Submit and save the reference number
You need it to track, and it is not easy to recover. Screenshot it.
BLO Verification, New EPIC Card and Returning the Old Voter ID
Your application goes to the Booth Level Officer for verification and then to the Electoral Registration Officer for approval. That verification is where most of the two to four weeks goes, so keep the mobile number on the form reachable.
On approval a new EPIC is issued with the corrected details, and the instructions say the old card is to be returned to the ERO. Almost no guide mentions this. Keep the old card safe until the new one is in your hand, then hand it in rather than throwing it away.
Check the roll, not just the card
Download the e-EPIC and search the electoral roll to confirm the corrected name actually appears there. The card is the copy; the roll is the record.
Entry missing altogether rather than wrong? That is Form 6, and there is an appeal route.
Voter Portal Not Submitting Form 8? Common Fixes
Form 8 failing to submit, a photograph upload being rejected, an OTP not arriving, or a status that sits unchanged for weeks are all common. Before assuming something is wrong with your application:
- Use a desktop browser rather than a phone; mobile browsers handle this form badly
- Clear your cache and cookies, since stale sessions cause submission failures
- Try off-peak hours, late at night or early morning
- Disable ad blockers and VPNs, which interfere with the portal
- Use the Voter Helpline app as an alternative route
- File on paper at the electoral office if the portal simply will not take it
Stuck at verification
Find your Booth Level Officer through the Know Your BLO option on the portal, using your EPIC number or address. The BLO is usually the person the file is sitting with, and a polite call moves it faster than resubmitting.
Update Aadhaar Before Your Voter ID
Gazette, if the name is genuinely changing
State route for a West Bengal adult, about a week.
Aadhaar
The document everything else reads, and the one Form 8 will accept as proof. Aadhaar name change.
PAN and bank
Because tax and KYC failures cost more than a voter ID delay. PAN correction.
Voter ID, and the rest
Free and unhurried, unless an election is approaching, in which case do it early because rolls are frozen before polls.
Voter ID Name Change Mistakes That Waste a Fortnight
Choosing the wrong Form 8 option
Correction of entries is the one for a name. Shifting, replacement and PwD marking do other things.
Paying a government fee
There is none. A service charge is fine if quoted as one; a government fee for Form 8 is invented.
Uploading a cropped or blurred document
Full page, flat, in daylight. Rejected uploads restart the clock.
Losing the reference number
Screenshot it at submission; tracking without it is painful.
Filing just before an election
Rolls are frozen ahead of polls. Do it well in advance.
Throwing away the old card
It is to be returned to the ERO once the new EPIC arrives.
Voter ID Name Change: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my name on a voter ID?
Through Form 8 on the Election Commission's Voters' Services Portal, or the Voter Helpline app, or on paper at the electoral office. Log in with your mobile number or EPIC number, choose correction of entries, select the name field, enter the corrected name, upload a supporting document and submit. Note the reference number. The application goes to your Electoral Registration Officer and a new EPIC follows on approval.
Does it cost anything?
No. Correcting or updating your entry in the electoral roll is free. Anyone charging you a government fee for Form 8 is charging for something that does not exist; a service charge for doing the work is a different matter and should be quoted as such.
What else does Form 8 do?
Four things, which is why people pick the wrong option: correction of entries, shifting of residence, replacement of an EPIC, and marking as a person with disability. Read the options before you start, because selecting the wrong one means the application does not do what you need.
Do I get a new voter ID card?
Yes. On approval the ERO issues a new EPIC, and the instructions state that the old card is to be returned to the ERO. Most guides never mention this. Keep the old card safe until the new one arrives, then hand it in.
Is a gazette needed for a voter ID name change?
Not for a spelling correction, where an existing document carrying the correct name is enough. For a genuine change of name the gazette is the proof, and for a West Bengal resident the Kolkata Gazette Part II is usually the right route, since no passport is involved and it publishes in about a week.
How long does it take?
Commonly two to four weeks, and the Commission's own guidance allows up to about 30 days. Verification by the Booth Level Officer sits in the middle of that, so keep your phone reachable.
Is Aadhaar required?
The form asks for your Aadhaar number for authentication along with your EPIC number, mobile and email. Have both to hand before you start.
Can I correct my photograph through Form 8?
Guidance on this varies and the form is designed principally for textual entries. Check the current options on the portal for your case rather than assuming, and ask your BLO if the option does not appear.
Is a surname compulsory on a voter ID?
No. A voter may carry a single name on the electoral roll. That is different from a passport, where a blank surname causes trouble abroad.
The portal will not submit my form. What now?
This is common. Use a desktop browser rather than a phone, clear your cache and cookies, try off-peak hours, and disable ad blockers or a VPN. If it still fails, use the Voter Helpline app instead, or file the form on paper at the electoral office.
My application has been pending for weeks. Who do I contact?
Track it with the reference number on the portal, then find your Booth Level Officer through the Know Your BLO option using your EPIC number or address. The BLO is the person whose verification usually holds these applications up.
Should I fix Aadhaar first?
Yes, in most cases. Aadhaar is the document the rest of the system reads, and having it in the new name gives you the supporting proof the Form 8 upload needs. Gazette, then Aadhaar, then the voter ID, PAN and the rest.
Official Sources for Voter ID Name Change in West Bengal
Voters' Services Portal
voters.eci.gov.in: Form 8, application tracking, e-EPIC download and Know Your BLO.
Election Commission of India
eci.gov.in: the forms, instructions and the electoral roll framework.
Kolkata Gazette Part II guideline
Notification of 17 May 2023: the state gazette route behind a genuine change of name.
Voter ID and Electoral Roll in West Bengal: The Complete Series
Form 8 itself, a relative’s name, Aadhaar linking, an entry that is missing or wrong, and the surname change after marriage.
Father’s or Husband’s Name
One field, three relations, and how to switch it.
Read →Aadhaar Linking and Mismatch
Form 6B is voluntary; why a mismatch fails the request.
Read →Name Missing or Wrong in the Roll
Form 6 or Form 8, the hearing, and the appeal ladder.
Read →Voter ID After Marriage
Surname and shifting of residence, in the same form.
Read →Get Call and Name Change Format
Form 8 Is Free, and We Will Tell You If That Is All You Need
Send us what your voter ID says and what it should say. If it is a correction you can file yourself tonight, we will say so. If a gazette sits behind it, we prepare the state filing that publishes in about a week. Monday to Saturday.