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| + | ====== Aadhaar name correction rejected after marriage or divorce ====== | ||
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| + | {{ : | ||
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| + | <WRAP center round info 95%> | ||
| + | **Quick Reply:** Aadhaar rejected your name change after marriage or divorce? Pick proof linking old and new names, visit a Seva Kendra, pay Rs 75, then use RTI for the real reason. | ||
| + | </ | ||
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| + | **Reviewed on:** 2026-07-04. | ||
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| + | <WRAP info> | ||
| + | Your Aadhaar name change after marriage or divorce was rejected by UIDAI. The public authority is the **Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)** under the Aadhaar Act 2016. File an RTI with the CPIO (Enrolment and Updation) asking for the exact recorded reason and the documents UIDAI will accept. Fee is Rs 10; reply within 30 days under section 7(1). | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== The story most citizens recognise ===== | ||
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| + | Lakshmi, a 29-year-old schoolteacher in Thrissur, Kerala, married in December 2025 and wanted to take her husband' | ||
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| + | The reason was not that the certificate was invalid. It was valid. The problem was that nothing on the certificate connected " | ||
| + | |||
| + | That single gap, a document that does not link the old name to the new name, causes most rejections after marriage or divorce. The fix is to submit a proof that shows both names, or a gazette notification, | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== What an Aadhaar name correction actually is ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Aadhaar is a 12-digit identity number issued by the **Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)**, a statutory body established under **section 11 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016**, which came into force on 12 July 2016 and was amended by the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2019 with effect from 25 July 2019. UIDAI sits under the **Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)**. The legal basis for changing your demographic information, | ||
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| + | Three regulations matter for a name correction: | ||
| + | |||
| + | - **Regulation 16** sets out how a resident requests an update of identity information. | ||
| + | - **Regulation 19(3)** is the lifetime limit. A resident may update **Name twice**, Date of Birth once, and Gender once. Once those limits are exhausted, further updates may be done "only in accordance with such process as the Authority may specify", | ||
| + | - **Regulation 16A** is the 10-year Proof of Identity and Proof of Address document refresh. It does **not** count as a name update, so you can refresh documents without spending a name slot. | ||
| + | |||
| + | UIDAI confirms the lifetime limit verbatim on its official FAQ: "Name: Twice in Life Time". Gender is once, Date of Birth is once, Address has no limit, and Mobile has no limit. Both a spelling correction and a full surname change count equally against the two chances, so a careless early attempt can lock you out of a real correction later in life. | ||
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| + | The fee, as of 2026, is **Rs 75 (inclusive of GST)** for a demographic update such as a name change, paid at an Aadhaar Enrolment Centre. This rate has been in force from **01.10.2025 to 30.09.2028** under UIDAI' | ||
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| + | A critical fact that many citizens get wrong: **a name cannot be updated online through the myAadhaar portal.** myAadhaar supports address update, document upload, Aadhaar download, PVC card ordering, bank-seeding check, biometric lock and unlock, VID generation and a few other services, but Name, Date of Birth, Gender, Mobile, Email and relationship changes all require an **in-person visit to an Aadhaar Seva Kendra**. UIDAI' | ||
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| + | <WRAP tip> | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== How the UIDAI name-update flow works ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Knowing the flow tells you what to ask for in your RTI and where your file got stuck. | ||
| + | |||
| + | - **Step 1, the centre visit.** You book a slot or walk into an Aadhaar Seva Kendra with your old Aadhaar and your supporting document. The operator scans the document, enters the requested new name, and captures your biometric confirmation. You pay Rs 75 and receive an acknowledgement slip with an Update Request Number (URN). | ||
| + | - **Step 2, document verification.** The scan and the entered data go to a verifier, who checks the document against UIDAI' | ||
| + | - **Step 3, approval or rejection.** If the document genuinely links the old and new names, the verifier approves and the new name propagates to the Aadhaar backend, usually within 3 to 7 days. If the document does not link the two names, or is unclear, the request is rejected and the Rs 75 fee is not refunded. | ||
| + | - **Step 4, the limit check.** The backend also checks Regulation 19(3). If you have already used both name slots, the request is rejected for "limit exceeded" | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== The 2026 update you must know about ===== | ||
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| + | Two things changed recently that directly affect a name correction after marriage or divorce. | ||
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| + | First, the **fee revision of 01.10.2025**. The demographic-update fee moved from Rs 50 to **Rs 75 (inclusive of GST)** for the period 01.10.2025 to 30.09.2028. Every centre attempt now costs Rs 75, and a rejection does not earn a refund. This makes the old advice of "just try again online for Rs 50" doubly wrong: the price is higher, and the online route does not exist for names. Budget for at least two attempts at Rs 75 each, plus the cost of getting the right document, before you file an RTI. | ||
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| + | Second, the **UIDAI exception-handling Standard Operating Procedure dated 28.10.2021** ("Name And Gender Update Request under Exception Handling Process" | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Step-by-step: | ||
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| + | File the RTI after you have made at least one clean resubmission attempt and one grievance through the UIDAI portal, so the RTI is asking for a recorded reason that already exists. | ||
| + | |||
| + | - **Step 1, read the exact rejection wording.** Open your acknowledgement or the UIDAI grievance status page and copy the rejection message and your URN verbatim. Do not paraphrase. The CPIO will search by URN. | ||
| + | - **Step 2, identify the CPIO.** For a name-update rejection the relevant subject matter at UIDAI Head Office is " | ||
| + | - **Step 3, file online or by post.** UIDAI is onboarded on the central RTI online portal at rtionline.gov.in, | ||
| + | - **Step 4, ask precise questions.** Vague questions get vague answers. Ask, in numbered points: | ||
| + | - "The specific reason recorded by the verifier for rejection of URN ____ on date ____." | ||
| + | - "The exact document deficiency noted in the internal file noting for the said URN." | ||
| + | - "The list of documents UIDAI accepts, under Schedule II List IV, for a name change consequent to marriage or divorce." | ||
| + | - " | ||
| + | - "The status of my grievance number ____ and the action taken on it." | ||
| + | - **Step 5, cite the sections.** Rely on **section 6(1)** to request the information, | ||
| + | - **Step 6, watch the clock.** The CPIO must reply within 30 days. If the reply is evasive or silent, file a first appeal under **section 19(1)** with the First Appellate Authority within 30 days of the expiry. If the FAA also fails, the second appeal lies with the Central Information Commission. | ||
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| + | You can draft and file the RTI with the help of https:// | ||
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| + | ===== Documents to attach ===== | ||
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| + | - Copy of your Aadhaar card (old name) or the e-Aadhaar printout. | ||
| + | - The acknowledgement slip with the URN of the rejected request. | ||
| + | - The document you submitted at the centre, scanned or photocopied (marriage certificate, | ||
| + | - The UIDAI grievance reference number and its reply, if you raised one. | ||
| + | - A printout of the rejection message from the UIDAI portal. | ||
| + | - Proof of the Rs 75 fee payment at the centre (the receipt). | ||
| + | - For BPL applicants, the BPL certificate to claim the RTI fee exemption. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Common mistakes ===== | ||
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| + | - **Resubmitting the same marriage certificate that just failed.** It will fail again, costs you another Rs 75, and may consume your second lifetime name slot under Regulation 19(3). | ||
| + | - **Trying to change your name online on myAadhaar.** The portal does not offer name updates. You will waste a day and end up at a centre anyway. | ||
| + | - **Submitting a black-and-white, | ||
| + | - **Asking for a name format the proof does not show.** If the marriage certificate shows " | ||
| + | - **Forgetting the ripple effect.** Once Aadhaar is corrected, your bank, PAN, passport, voter ID and ration card names all need the same change, or [[practical-guides: | ||
| + | - **Losing the URN.** Without the URN you cannot file a grievance, an RTI, or a first appeal. Save it the day you get it. | ||
| + | - **Spending both name slots early.** A maiden-to-married change and later a married-to-maiden reversion after divorce will use both slots. Treat each attempt as your last. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Real-life example ===== | ||
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| + | <WRAP center round box> | ||
| + | A resident of Thrissur, Kerala, call her Lakshmi, married in December 2025 and wanted to take her husband' | ||
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| + | She then applied for a Central Gazette notification through the Department of Publication (deptpub.gov.in): | ||
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| + | Total out-of-pocket: | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Sample RTI letter ===== | ||
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| + | < | ||
| + | To the Central Public Information Officer, | ||
| + | Unique Identification Authority of India, | ||
| + | Bangla Sahib Road, Behind Kali Mandir, New Delhi - 110001 | ||
| + | (or the Regional Office CPIO where your centre is located) | ||
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| + | Sub: Application under section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005 for information | ||
| + | regarding rejection of Aadhaar name-update request URN __________ dated ______. | ||
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| + | Sir/Madam, | ||
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| + | I, ____________________, | ||
| + | demographic name-update request at the Aadhaar Seva Kendra at __________ on | ||
| + | __________. The Update Request Number is __________. The request was rejected | ||
| + | on ________ with the message " | ||
| + | grievance No. __________ on the UIDAI portal, to which the reply was | ||
| + | __________________________. | ||
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| + | I seek the following information under section 6(1) of the Right to Information | ||
| + | Act, 2005: | ||
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| + | 1. The specific reason recorded by the verifier for rejecting URN __________, | ||
| + | | ||
| + | 2. The list of documents UIDAI accepts under Schedule II, List IV of the | ||
| + | | ||
| + | | ||
| + | 3. Whether the said rejection was coded as a name update consuming a lifetime | ||
| + | slot under Regulation 19(3), or as a non-counting correction such as a | ||
| + | | ||
| + | 4. The status and action taken on my grievance No. __________. | ||
| + | 5. The certified copy of the verifier' | ||
| + | | ||
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| + | I am willing to pay the prescribed fee for copies. As the information sought | ||
| + | relates to my own Aadhaar record, no third-party exemption under section 8(1)(j) | ||
| + | applies. Kindly furnish the information within 30 days as required by | ||
| + | section 7(1) of the Act. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Date: __________ | ||
| + | Place: __________ | ||
| + | Signature: ____________________ | ||
| + | Name: ____________________ | ||
| + | Address: ____________________ | ||
| + | Mobile: ____________________ | ||
| + | </ | ||
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| + | If the CPIO does not reply within 30 days, or replies evasively, file a first appeal under section 19(1) with the First Appellate Authority named in UIDAI' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Frequently asked questions ===== | ||
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| + | ==== How many times can I change my name on Aadhaar? ==== | ||
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| + | Twice in a lifetime, under Regulation 19(3) of the Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, | ||
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| + | ==== My marriage certificate shows only my maiden name. Will it work? ==== | ||
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| + | It works only if the new name you want is your existing first name plus the spouse' | ||
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| + | ==== Can I change my name on Aadhaar online through myAadhaar? ==== | ||
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| + | No. The myAadhaar portal allows address updates, document uploads, Aadhaar downloads, PVC orders, biometric lock and unlock, and a few other services, but not Name, Date of Birth, Gender, Mobile, or Email changes. Those require an in-person visit to an Aadhaar Seva Kendra. UIDAI' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== What is the fee for an Aadhaar name change in 2026? ==== | ||
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| + | Rs 75 inclusive of GST for a demographic update at an Aadhaar Enrolment Centre, in force from 01.10.2025 to 30.09.2028. A biometric update alone is Rs 125. A demographic update done together with a mandatory biometric update at ages 5 to 7 or 15 to 17 is free. The fee is charged per attempt and is not refunded if the request is rejected. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== What proof works for going back to my maiden name after divorce? ==== | ||
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| + | A certified copy of the divorce decree or the court order is the standard proof under Schedule II List IV. If the decree does not record your maiden name clearly, add a gazette notification. For help getting the certified copy from the family court when it is delayed, see [[practical-guides: | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Do I always need a gazette notification? | ||
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| + | No. It is the fallback when no single document links your old and new names. Many post-marriage updates go through on the marriage certificate alone, provided the certificate shows the connection. The gazette is the cleanest universal proof because it states both names in one government document, but it costs about Rs 1,100 in Central Gazette fees plus affidavit and newspaper-ad costs, and takes four to eight weeks. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== What is the Central Gazette name-change fee and how do I pay it? ==== | ||
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| + | Rs 1,100 for an adult, payable online through the BharatKosh (NTRP) portal at bharatkosh.gov.in under the head " | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== My old mobile number is gone and I need OTP for the update. What do I do? ==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Fix the mobile link first at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra, because a name update needs biometric confirmation and an OTP on the linked number. Our guide on a [[practical-guides: | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== How do I prove my old name to a bank while the correction is pending? ==== | ||
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| + | Download your Aadhaar update history, which lists earlier names with dates. See [[practical-guides: | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Both my name slots are exhausted and I still need a correction. What now? ==== | ||
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| + | That is the exception-handling route under the UIDAI SOP dated 28.10.2021. Enrol at the nearest centre with the required documents; once the request is rejected for limit exceeded, call 1947 toll-free or email [email protected] requesting exception processing through the UIDAI Regional Office, quoting your EID. Attach the EID slip, the gazette notification, | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Who do I escalate to if UIDAI keeps rejecting without a clear reason? ==== | ||
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| + | Grievance on the UIDAI portal first, then CPGRAMS at pgportal.gov.in, | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Does a one-letter spelling correction count as one of my two name updates? ==== | ||
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| + | Yes. UIDAI does not distinguish between a single-letter spelling fix and a full surname change; both consume one of your two lifetime name slots under Regulation 19(3). This is why resubmitting a careless typo as a "fresh name update" | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Can RTI force UIDAI to approve my name change? ==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | No. RTI can only get you the recorded reason, the document list, and the internal noting. It cannot order UIDAI to approve the change, and it cannot issue your marriage certificate or divorce decree; those come from the registrar and the court. If the marriage certificate itself is delayed, see [[rti-for-marriage-certificate-delay|RTI for a delayed marriage certificate]] and [[rti-for-marriage-registration|RTI for marriage registration]]. | ||
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| + | ===== Sources ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | - **Aadhaar Act, 2016** and the **Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, | ||
| + | - **UIDAI SOP dated 28.10.2021**, | ||
| + | - **UIDAI official FAQ on lifetime update limits**: https:// | ||
| + | - **UIDAI FAQ on the exception route once the name-change limit is reached**: https:// | ||
| + | - **UIDAI fee schedule (Rs 75 demographic, | ||
| + | - **UIDAI RTI page and list of CPIOs and FAAs dated 26.05.2025**: | ||
| + | - **myAadhaar online services FAQ** confirming name update is not available online: https:// | ||
| + | - **Department of Publication, | ||
| + | - **BharatKosh (NTRP) payment portal** for the Rs 1,100 gazette fee: https:// | ||
| + | - **CPGRAMS** for escalation: https:// | ||
| + | - **Central RTI online portal**: https:// | ||
| + | - **UIDAI toll-free helpline 1947 and [email protected]** for triggering exception handling. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Related on RTI Wiki ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | * [[rti-for-aadhaar-update-rejected|RTI for a rejected Aadhaar update]] | ||
| + | * [[rti-for-aadhaar-update-delay-2026|RTI for an Aadhaar update delay]] | ||
| + | * [[rti-for-aadhaar-update-stuck|RTI for an Aadhaar update stuck]] | ||
| + | * [[practical-guides: | ||
| + | * [[practical-guides: | ||
| + | * [[practical-guides: | ||
| + | * [[practical-guides: | ||
| + | * [[practical-guides: | ||
| + | * [[rti-for-marriage-certificate-delay|RTI for a delayed marriage certificate]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | *This page explains the Aadhaar update and RTI process as laid down by the Aadhaar Act 2016, the 2016 Enrolment and Update Regulations, | ||
| + | |||
| + | If this guide helped you, the **[[rti-for-beginners|RTI for beginners]]** guide is a good next read for the wider Right to Information framework, and you can draft your application with https:// | ||
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| + | {{tag> | ||