Passport Name Change for a Minor in West Bengal: The Annexures Decide Everything
For a child's passport the paperwork is not the hard part; consent is. Passport Seva expects a declaration signed by both parents, and either both attend or one attends carrying both parents' passports. Where a parent will not or cannot sign there is a separate declaration, and while a divorce is running neither of them applies and the court decides. This guide sets out each case, plus the full central gazette process for a child.
Get Call and Name Change Format
How to Change a Child's Name on a Passport (Quick Answer)
Apply for Reissue of Passport under change in existing personal particulars, with a parent as applicant. Where the child's name has genuinely changed, publish it in the Gazette of India first, at Rs 1,700, because the Kolkata Gazette Part II is closed to anyone under 18. Update the school record and Aadhaar next. Then prepare Annexure D signed by both parents, or Annexure C where the other parent's consent cannot be obtained, attach the birth certificate and both parents' documents, and book a PSK or POPSK appointment. The child attends, and either both parents attend or one carries both parents' passports. Expect a new booklet with a new number in about three to four weeks. While a divorce is pending, Annexure C does not apply and the court's permission is needed.
| Your situation | What is required |
|---|---|
| Both parents agree | Annexure D signed by both; both attend, or one attends with both parents' passports |
| Other parent refuses, deserted, or unreachable | Annexure C, notarised, by the parent applying |
| Divorce proceedings pending | Neither annexure alone: the court's permission, or the other parent's consent on Annexure D |
| Divorced, custody with you | Annexure C where consent cannot be obtained; the other parent's name is still furnished |
| One parent deceased | Death certificate with Annexure C |
| Applicant is a legal guardian | Court order appointing the legal guardian |
| Address proof | In a parent's name is accepted for a minor |
| Name genuinely changed | Gazette of India at Rs 1,700; the state gazette is closed to minors |
Minor Passport Annexure D and Annexure C: Parental Consent and Pending Divorce
Annexure D: the normal case
The declaration by the applicant's parents or guardian for issue of a passport to a minor. Both parents sign it, and at the appointment either both parents attend or one parent attends carrying both parents' passports. It also carries a declaration that the child is a citizen of India and an undertaking of responsibility for the child.
Annexure C: consent that cannot be obtained
For a married parent who is unable to obtain the other parent's consent. The recognised reasons include wilful denial by an estranged parent, desertion, and an absence of communication between divorced or separated parents. It is submitted notarised, not as a plain letter.
The exception people miss
Annexure C excludes cases where both parents are involved in divorce proceedings. While a divorce is running before a court, the applying parent needs the court's permission to apply without the other parent's consent, or the other parent's consent on Annexure D. There is no self-declared way around it.
You still name the other parent
The father's or mother's name is furnished by the single parent having custody irrespective of marital status, divorced, separated, deserted, or divorce pending, and with or without visitation rights. The field is not left blank.
When a court order is genuinely needed for a child's name change · Name change after divorce in West Bengal.
Central Gazette Process for a Minor's Name Change, Step by Step
A minor's name change can only go through the Gazette of India. The Kolkata Gazette Part II is open to applicants aged 18 and above, so the cheaper, faster state route is not available for a child at any price, and anyone offering it has not read the guideline.
Fix the child's exact new name
Spelling, spacing and surname order, checked against the birth certificate. Every later document copies it: the affidavit, both newspapers, the proforma, the school record, Aadhaar and the passport. Write it out once.
Parent's notarised affidavit
Sworn by a parent on the child's behalf, giving the child's old and new full name, date of birth, address and the reason, with a declaration that both names refer to one and the same child. Where both parents have rights, both signing is the safer practice, because the question surfaces later at a school, a board or this very passport counter.
Notices in two daily newspapers
One Bengali and one English daily, published in the parent's name on behalf of the minor. Book classified text, keep the complete pages with masthead and date, and buy two or three copies of each.
Typed proforma with two witnesses
The Department of Publication's proforma, typed rather than handwritten, carrying the child's old and new name, with two witnesses signing in the child's old name.
Pay Rs 1,700 on BharatKosh
The minor rate, paid online against your own reference, with the receipt going into the file. Adults pay Rs 1,100; there is no discount for a child and no way to file a child's case in the adult category.
Post the file to Delhi in the parent's own name
Affidavit, both complete newspaper pages, the typed proforma, the child's birth certificate, the parents' identity proof, two photographs of the child, the BharatKosh receipt, and the soft copy with a certificate that it matches the typed text. Addressed to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. The application is expected from the parent, not from an agent in their own name.
Publication, then the free download
Usually 30 to 45 days from the file reaching Delhi. Download the notification free from egazette.gov.in and check it the same day, because the window for a corrigendum is limited. Only then apply for the passport.
The parent's guide to a minor gazette name change · What it all costs, item by item.
Order for a Child's Name Change: Gazette, School Record, Aadhaar, Then Passport
Gazette of India
Where the name has genuinely changed. Nothing else establishes it for a child.
School record
The admission register feeds the board, and the passport office reads a child's school documents. Board correction route.
Aadhaar
In person at a Seva Kendra with the child. Two name changes in a lifetime apply to a child too. Child Aadhaar guide.
Passport reissue
Last, once the other records agree. A booklet issued in a name the child's own documents do not carry causes more problems than it solves.
Documents Required for a Minor's Passport Name Change
- The child's existing passport, original with self-attested copies of the first and last pages
- Birth certificate
- Annexure D signed by both parents, or Annexure C where applicable
- Gazette of India page, where the name has changed
- Both parents' passports, originals with self-attested copies, where held
- Parents' identity documents
- Address proof in a parent's name
- School record or leaving certificate, where asked
- Court order, for a legal guardian or a custody case
- Death certificate, where a parent has died
Requirements differ by case and change over time. Run your own case through the Document Advisor on the Passport Seva portal before you travel to the appointment.
How to Apply for a Minor's Passport Reissue at the Passport Seva Kendra
Apply online as the parent
Reissue of Passport, change in existing personal particulars. Enter the child's new name exactly as the gazette prints it.
Pay and book a PSK or POPSK slot
Minor fees are lower than adult ones and are commonly quoted at about Rs 1,000 for a 36-page booklet. Use the fee calculator on the portal.
Attend with the child
The child must be present, even a toddler. Both parents attend, or one parent with both parents' passports.
Biometrics and document check
Photograph at the counter, with fingerprints for older children. Originals are verified and returned.
Police verification and delivery
Commonly three to four weeks in total, longer where verification is triggered. Be reachable at the address given.
Passport Name Change When Your Child Turns 18
A minor's passport runs for five years or until the child turns 18, whichever comes first, so a booklet issued at eight expires long before adulthood. On the reissue after 18, documents establishing non-ECR status are required, and without them the passport carries ECR stamping, which matters for employment abroad in certain categories.
The practical point for a name change: settle the child's name properly now. An adult reissue in a new name is a fresh round of gazette, records and verification, and by then the two Aadhaar name changes may already be spent.
Do it once
Birth certificate, school record, Aadhaar and passport all in the same form of the name, before the board examinations rather than after.
Mistakes That Stall a Minor's Passport Name Change
Assuming one parent's signature is enough
Annexure D is signed by both parents in the normal case, and attendance rules follow the same logic.
Using Annexure C during divorce proceedings
It expressly does not cover that situation. The court's permission is what is needed.
Leaving the other parent's name blank
It is furnished by the custodial parent whatever the marital status.
Trying the state gazette for a child
Part II is for applicants aged 18 and above. The fee and the weeks are lost.
Applying before the school record and Aadhaar are updated
The passport office reads the child's other records.
Leaving the child at home
The child attends the appointment, whatever their age.
Passport Name Change for a Minor: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my child's name on their passport?
Apply for Reissue of Passport under change in existing personal particulars, with a parent as applicant. Where the child's name has genuinely changed, publish it in the Gazette of India first, then update the school record and Aadhaar, then apply. Attach Annexure D signed by both parents, the child's birth certificate, both parents' passports or identity documents, and the gazette page. The child attends the appointment, and a new booklet is issued with a new number.
Do both parents have to sign?
In the normal case yes. Passport Seva's Annexure D is the declaration for a minor's passport and it is signed by both parents, with either both parents attending the appointment or one parent attending carrying both parents' passports. This is the single requirement that surprises most applicants.
What if the other parent will not give consent?
Annexure C is the declaration for a married parent who cannot obtain the other parent's consent, and the recognised reasons include wilful denial by an estranged parent, desertion, and no communication between separated or divorced parents. It does not cover every situation, and a notarised Annexure C is what the office expects rather than a plain letter.
What if divorce proceedings are still going on?
Annexure C specifically excludes cases where both parents are involved in divorce proceedings. In that situation the applying parent needs the court's permission to apply without the other parent's consent, or the other parent's consent on Annexure D. Speak to your lawyer before filing anything.
The other parent has no involvement with the child. Do I still name them?
Yes. Passport Seva's position is that the name of the father or mother is furnished by the single parent having custody irrespective of marital status, whether divorced, separated, deserted, or with divorce pending, and with or without visitation rights. Leaving the field blank is not an option.
What if a parent has died?
The death certificate is submitted along with Annexure C. Carry the original and a copy.
I am the child's legal guardian, not a parent. What do I need?
The court order appointing you as legal guardian, which is what establishes your authority to apply. Without an order, a person raising a child cannot sign as guardian.
Is a gazette needed for a child's passport name change?
For a genuine change of name, yes, and it must be the Gazette of India, because a minor cannot use the Kolkata Gazette Part II at all. For a plain spelling correction the passport office looks at documents that already carry the correct name, such as the birth certificate and the school record.
Whose address proof is accepted for a minor?
Address proof in a parent's name is accepted for a minor applicant. Carry the parents' passports too, originals with self-attested copies, where the parents hold them.
How long does a minor's passport reissue take?
Commonly around three to four weeks including document checks and dispatch, and longer where police verification is triggered. Plan six to eight weeks before travel.
What happens when my child turns 18?
A minor's passport is valid for five years or until the child turns 18, whichever is earlier. On reissue after 18, documents to establish non-ECR status are needed, otherwise ECR stamping applies.
Should the school record be updated before the passport?
Yes. The school record and Aadhaar should already carry the new name when you apply, because the passport office reads the child's other records. Doing it in the other order invites questions.
Official Sources for Minor Passport Name Change
Passport Seva, special cases of minors
Annexure C and Annexure D rules, including the divorce-proceedings exception and the furnishing of the other parent's name.
Annexure D specimen
The declaration form by the applicant's parents or guardian for issue of a passport to a minor.
Department of Publication
deptpub.gov.in: the Gazette of India proforma, the minor fee and the document list.
Passport Name Change in West Bengal: The Complete Series
The reissue itself, the gazette a passport case needs, and every situation people come with: a single name, a parent’s name, a child, an NRI abroad, marriage and divorce.
Passport Name Correction and Change
Both are a reissue: new booklet, new number, and what each case needs.
Read →Gazette Name Change for a Passport
Why a passport case takes the central gazette, and the exceptions.
Read →Add Surname to a Passport
The single-name problem, and the relaxation many people never hear about.
Read →Father’s Name in a Passport
Two public documents for a misspelling; his gazette if he changed his name.
Read →For an NRI From Abroad
Two portals, and police verification at your Indian address.
Read →Passport After Marriage
Marriage certificate route, and the reissue that follows.
Read →Passport After Divorce
Two changes on one reissue, with the decree as support.
Read →Get Call and Name Change Format
Tell Us the Family Situation First. The Annexure Follows From It
Both parents agreeing, one parent unreachable, or a divorce in progress are three different files. We prepare the central gazette in the parent's name, tell you which annexure your case needs, and say plainly when a lawyer has to be involved. Monday to Saturday.