Name Change in Driving Licence in Uttarakhand

A driving licence is issued by a licensing authority, which in practice is a Regional Transport Office or an Assistant Regional Transport Office. The record sits in the national Sarathi system, and the card in your hand is printed from it.

• The record carries your name, the name of your father or husband, your date of birth and your address.
• The same record is what shows on the Government's mobile app and in your digital locker.
• To change the card, you ask for the record to be changed. A fresh card is then issued.
• The licence number does not change with a name.

The application begins online for every state. You then visit the office that the portal lets you select, with your original papers, on the date you book.

Step 1: Update Aadhaar first, if the name is changing

The transport office is easier with a current identity paper in the name you want.

Step 2: Open the driving licence services on the Parivahan portal

Choose Online Services, then Driving Licence Related Services, and select Uttarakhand.

Step 3: Choose services on a driving licence

Enter your licence number and date of birth to bring up your record, and select the transport office.

Step 4: Select "Change of name in DL"

Choose the reason, and enter the new name. The same screen lets you change the name of the relation.

Step 5: Upload the documents and pay the fee

Upload your identity proof and the paper that supports the change.

Step 6: Book a slot

Pick a date at the office you selected.

Step 7: Visit the transport office

Carry the application, your present licence and the originals of everything you uploaded.

Step 8: Check the new licence

Read your name, the relation's name and the date of birth when the card arrives, and check the record on the app.

A licence prints you as the son, wife or daughter of someone. That name is typed at the counter, and it is wrong more often than people notice.

• The same service lets you change the relation's name, with a paper that shows it correctly.
• A married woman may have her father or her husband shown. There is no rule that it must be the husband.
• Where the relation has changed his or her own name, carry that person's Gazette or updated identity proof.
• Correct your own name and the relation's name in one application.

For a father's name in other records, see father's name change and correction in Uttarakhand.

• The record is in the national system, so the portal can bring it up whichever state issued it.
• Select the state and the office as the portal directs for your case. It may point you to the office that issued the licence, or let you choose one where you now live.
• If you have moved to Uttarakhand for good, a change of address is a separate service. Ask the office here in which order to do the two.
• An old licence in a paper booklet, never brought onto the system, has to be sorted out with the office that issued it first.

Do not apply for a second licence in Uttarakhand to get the name right. A person may hold only one driving licence.

1. The Gazette, where your change is one that needs it.
2. Aadhaar.
3. PAN and the bank.
4. Passport, if you hold one.
5. Voter ID and driving licence.
6. Vehicle registration, insurance and the rest.

The licence comes late because the transport office follows your other identity papers. Until it is updated, your present licence is still valid for driving. Carry a paper that links the two names, such as the marriage certificate or a printed Gazette, in case a question is asked.

For the earlier steps, see name change in Aadhaar card and name change in PAN card.

Step 1: Confirm that your case is a change of name

A spelling, initials or a surname after marriage usually does not need a Gazette for a licence.

Step 2: Fix the exact new name

The same spelling you will use on every paper.

Step 3: Make the affidavit

State the old name, the new name, your father's or husband's name and your address. Sign before a notary. Keep a second original, since a transport office may ask for one.

Step 4: Publish the newspaper notice

In a daily local leading newspaper. Keep the original newspaper, and a spare copy.

Step 5: Type the form and sign the undertaking

Two typed copies of the specimen, signed in your old name with two witnesses, and an undertaking showing the old and the new name.

Step 6: Prepare the CD, photographs and certificate

The same text on a CD in MS Word, two self-attested photographs with identity proof, and a certificate that both copies match.

Step 7: Pay the charge on BharatKosh

Commonly Rs 1,100 for an adult. It is not refunded.

Step 8: Send the file yourself, then update your records in order

Send it to the Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. With the published Gazette, update Aadhaar first, then apply for the licence.

A typical case we handle: a taxi owner in Rishikesh had his surname spelt one way on his licence and another way on his vehicle's registration and insurance, and an insurer queried it after a minor accident. He had been told to get a Gazette. His Aadhaar and class 10 certificate carried the right spelling. He had the licence corrected through the portal and his transport office, and then the registration and the policy, on those two papers. This is an illustrative example of the type of case we handle, not a named client review.

When you do not need us

For a spelling, initials, the relation's name or a surname after marriage, you need the portal, your transport office and one good document. We are useful only where you are taking a new name and a Gazette is the proof asked for.

How can I change my name on my driving licence?

Apply for "Change of name in DL" on the Parivahan portal, then visit your transport office with the papers.

Is a gazette required to change a name on a driving licence?

For a new name, it is the proof usually asked for. Not for a spelling correction or a surname after marriage.

Will my driving licence number change?

No. The number stays the same. A fresh card is issued.

Can I change my name on my driving licence online?

The application, the upload and the fee are online. A visit to the transport office completes it.

How do I change my surname on my licence after marriage?

Through the same service, with your marriage certificate.

Do I have to change my vehicle registration too?

It is a separate record. Change it, and the insurance policy, with the same proof.

Is a driving licence in DigiLocker valid?

Yes. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways advised states to accept a driving licence or registration certificate in electronic form through DigiLocker or mParivahan as valid under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, at par with the card. Once your name is changed, the digital copy is pulled from the updated record.

Can I hold two driving licences?

No. A person can hold only one driving licence at a time. A name is changed on the licence you already hold, not by taking a second one.

Is an Uttarakhand driving licence valid in other states?

Yes. A driving licence is valid throughout India, so a name change on it serves wherever you drive.

Can an insurance claim be refused over the licence?

Guides warn that many insurers may reject a claim if a valid driving licence cannot be produced after an accident. A licence in a name that does not match the policy invites the same questions, so correct both.

Is driving without a licence punishable?

Yes. Driving a motor vehicle without a driving licence can be punished with jail of up to 3 months, a fine, or both. Your present licence stays valid while the name is being changed.

Does mParivahan show my insurance as well?

The Ministry's advisory said insurance data for new vehicles and renewals is uploaded to the Vahan database daily and is reflected on the mParivahan and eChallan apps. Check that the name there matches your licence and registration.