Gandhinagar: In relieving news for people seeking name changes on birth certificates, the Gujarat government has issued a new circular allowing authorities to include an ‘alias’ alongside the original name on the certificate.

The Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare issued this directive on September 25 to all registrars responsible for issuing birth and death certificates. The circular also instructed authorities not to deny changes due to clerical errors in the original certificate and to make decisions based on document verification.

According to the circular, registrars must consider photo-based identity cards and other relevant documents submitted with the application for name changes. After verifying the documents, the registrar can add both the old and new names by including an ‘alias’ in the certificate. If the applicant prefers not to use the term ‘alias’, both names, along with the date of modification, should be listed in the certificate following proper verification.

Furthermore, birth and death certificates are recognized as valid evidence under the Bhartiya Sakshya Sanhita. If the registrar finds the documents to be inauthentic, the application for the name change will be rejected. DeshGujarat