Marriage changes your name; it doesn't automatically change your passport. That happens through a specific application NIS calls a change of data due to change in marital status.
Here's the passport step itself, and where to send the parts that aren't NIS's to handle.
What actually changes on your passport
A married name doesn't appear on your passport until you apply for it to. Until then, your booklet still carries the name it was issued under, whatever your other documents now say.
Treat this as its own application, not an add-on to a routine renewal. Banks, airlines and embassies will keep reading your old name from your passport until this step is done, whatever your marriage certificate says.
The document list
For a change of data due to marital status, NIS asks for your marriage certificate, a High Court affidavit, a newspaper publication, an application letter, an NPC birth certificate or declaration of age, a state of origin certificate and your passport data page.
That's a longer list than a standard renewal, because NIS needs to see the legal chain from your old name to your new one, not just your new name on its own.
Where the affidavit and publication happen
The High Court affidavit and the newspaper publication both happen outside the passport process, through the courts and a newspaper, not through NIS.
We cover the affidavit side in our courts and affidavits guide, and a change of name filing can be handled through a vetted partner firm. Come back to the passport portal only once that side is settled.
Remarriage and divorce variations
A remarriage needs the certificate for your current marriage, not your first one. After a divorce, NIS asks for a decree absolute or a declaration of divorce instead of a marriage certificate.
Check the current document list on the portal before you apply, since these variations change what you upload. Uploading the wrong marriage document is a common reason this particular application gets queried.
The one visit this still needs
Even though your name is changing, an appointment at your chosen passport office for photo and biometric capture still applies. NIS updates your photo and biometrics against your new details at the same appointment.
Bring your current booklet with you. The officer checks it against both your old and new records, so a missing booklet can turn an otherwise complete file into a second trip.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a name change is a quick edit rather than its own application.
- Applying before the newspaper publication period has actually run its course.
- Forgetting to bring the current passport booklet to the appointment.
Once your new details are confirmed, the rest of your passport application proceeds like any other change of data request.