Affidavit, Name and Status Correction

What this covers

Affidavits (হলফনামা) are sworn statements used to explain a name change, a different spelling, a change after marriage or divorce, a religion change, or a mismatch in a parent’s name. They are sworn before a Notary Public or a first class magistrate on non-judicial stamp paper of the value set by the current Stamp Act schedule. On their own they do not change any government record, but most correction offices ask for one. We prepare affidavits and newspaper notices, check which documents each authority will accept, and advise when a refusal needs a formal appeal or a writ petition.

Start with the right base document

Authorities check your documents against each other. For adults, the SSC or equivalent certificate is usually treated as strong evidence of name and date of birth, and passport data is generally matched to the NID. Birth registration is the base for children and for many NID corrections. Correcting the passport before the NID, or changing the NID to a spelling that differs from your SSC, often leads to a second rejection. We map your records and pick the order that avoids repeat applications.

NID, birth registration and passport corrections

NID corrections are made online through the Election Commission’s NID service portal (services.nidw.gov.bd). The applicant selects the fields, uploads evidence and pays the fee set by the Election Commission; spelling fixes are processed more easily than changes to name, date of birth or parents’ names, which may need hearing or verification by the upazila or district election office. Birth registration corrections are applied for online at bdris.gov.bd and approved by the local registrar, with changes to birth year handled at a higher level for some records. Passport data changes are made through the Department of Immigration and Passports on a re-issue application, supported by the corrected NID or birth registration and, for major changes, an affidavit.

SSC and HSC certificates, and newspaper notices

Corrections to a name, parents’ names or date of birth on SSC or HSC certificates are applied for through the relevant education board’s online system, with an affidavit, a newspaper notice of the correction, the original certificates and parents’ NIDs, and payment of the board’s fee. Boards may take one to three months and can call the applicant for a hearing. For a full name change, a notice in a national daily is still widely required by boards and other offices, although requirements vary; we confirm the current requirement with the office involved before you publish.

What helps

• Current NID, passport and birth registration certificate
• SSC, HSC and any other academic certificates
• Parents’ NIDs, and nikahnama or divorce papers if the change relates to marriage
• Any rejection message or letter from the Election Commission, DIP or education board
• Other records showing the correct name, such as bank, land or employment documents

Where it is handled, and how long it takes

Affidavits are sworn before a Notary Public or first class magistrate, usually the same day. NID corrections go to the Election Commission; birth registration to the local registrar at the Union Parishad, pourashava or city corporation; passports to DIP; certificates to the education board. Simple corrections can take a few weeks; major changes to name or date of birth commonly take one to three months per office.