How to Publish a Public Notice in Free Press Journal Mumbai

By: Saptak Chattopadhyay , Legal Ad Consultant | Updated: [April, 2026] Reading Time: 8 minutes | Categories: Public Notices, Free Press Journal, Mumbai Newspaper Ads

Publishing a free press journal public notice is easy. But you must keep in mind that there's a list of things that go wrong on a regular basis, like choosing the wrong edition, exceeding word count unnecessarily, or missing an affidavit, which can make things complicated. If any of these mistakes happen, then you will need to start the entire process again at full cost!

This comprehensive guide covers the entire process step by step. It will explain which mistakes are worth avoiding, and a few important things that most booking agents won’t tell you upfront.

1. Why Free Press Journal Mumbai for a Public Notice?

Free Press Journal is a widely trusted and recognized English newspaper for publishing legal public notices in Mumbai and the entire Maharashtra. The newspaper was founded in the year of 1928, and has a daily circulation of around 1.5 lakh copies. It reaches a strong urban readership across major cities of Maharashtra, this is the reason why courts and government offices regularly accept Free Press Journal for official purposes.

This is a short and primary reason. Now let's take a look at the key reasons for which most Marathi individuals prefer The Free Press Journal for publishing legal public notices in Maharashtra and Mumbai.

The longer reason is the newspaper's wide reach. Free Press Journal has a strong circulation across key cities of Maharashtra like Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai, which covers most of the areas where a Mumbai-based notice is actually required.

One client I worked with in Bandra had booked a notice in a smaller newspaper first. But when she went to the RTO, they didn’t accept it at the counter. She had no option but to book it again in another newspaper, and because of this, her work got delayed by almost a couple of weeks.

💡 Key Rule: Please note there are some notices that don’t require a specific newspaper. On the other hand, there are some notices that do require specific newspapers. So it is always advisable to check your requirements before booking your notice.

2. Types of Public Notices Free Press Journal Accepts

Free Press Journal accepts a wide range of public notice classified ads which are most suitable for the Mumbai newspaper formats. Most of the time, the public notices look like this:

• Property notices — It’s usually about things like name correction in property papers, selling property, mutation objections, or dividing family property.
• Company notices — It covers things like closing of a company, changing the registered office address, giving notice for EGM or AGM meetings, or when a director steps down under MCA rules.
• Society notices — It also covers housing society AGMs, redevelopment updates, and public notices for NOC-related matters.
• Legal notices — It covers cases like lost PAN card, passport, marksheet or degree certificates, name change after marriage or a court order, and gazette notifications.
• Tender notices — It also includes government departments and PSUs issuing open tenders for projects and services.
• Insolvency and banking notices — It includes bank notices such as loan defaults, SARFAESI recovery actions, and auctions of mortgaged properties.

The category matters because it decides how your advertisement appears in the newspaper, whether as a simple text notice or as a display advertisement, and at times even which edition it is placed in.

3. How to Draft Your Public Notice Content

Always start with legal language, don't emphasize on the design.

For most notices, it’s usually written in a simple way: who you are, what you are declaring, why you are issuing the notice, and the date with your signature. Courts and government offices mainly look at these facts, not on the formatting.

Standard Content Formats:

Lost Document Notice: Typically contains your full name and residential address, a short description of the document, the document number if available, a simple statement that it has been lost, and a request to return it if found at the given address. That’s it.

Name Change Notice: Includes the old name, new name, affidavit number and date, and the notary details. If available, it may also mention the gazette notification number. In many cases, the newspaper notice is published before the gazette, and that is also accepted.

One common mistake I’ve seen many times: people copy a notice made for another newspaper and submit it here. The Free Press Journal has its own format for different notices. If you’re submitting online, just use the format they give you instead of pasting from somewhere else.

4. Choosing the Right Edition and Day

Free Press Journal publishes a Mumbai edition and also circulates in select areas of Thane and Navi Mumbai. For most public notices that fall under Mumbai jurisdiction, the main Mumbai edition is the one that is normally used and accepted.

The choice of day matters more than most people realise. It can affect visibility, timing, and how quickly your notice gets noticed and processed.

• For property and legal notices submitted to government authorities, weekday editions from Monday to Friday are often preferred in practice. It is not a strict rule, the notice is valid on any day, but some officers do check the publication date and weekday while verifying documents, mainly to avoid any confusion.
• It’s best to avoid Sundays for statutory notices unless there’s no other option. Fewer people read the paper that day, and some offices also prefer weekday publications when checking or verifying documents.
• For company and MCA-related notices: always check the specific ROC circular that applies to your filing. Some cases require a minimum gap between publication and the next filing step, so it is important to book your notice accordingly.

5. Word Limit, Format, and Legal Points

Classified notices are usually priced per word or per line, depending on how you book them. Most legal text notices like name change, lost documents, or society AGMs are commonly published as classified ads.

Display notices cost more because they are charged by column centimetres. They are usually used when visibility is important, such as tenders or insolvency notices. But for simple notices like a name change, a display ad is not needed and only increases cost unnecessarily.

Word limits are not set by the newspaper, they depend on your budget and the minimum legal requirement. Courts usually expect the full legal text, not a short summary. It is better not to shorten important details just to save a small amount on the ad cost.

Points to check before submitting:

• 1. Affidavit: For lost document and name change notices, the affidavit should always be done first, before publishing the notice. Some people make the mistake of publishing the notice first and sorting the affidavit later, which can create avoidable issues.
• 2. Date of publication: You may need to mention a specific date while booking the notice. It is always better to plan with some buffer, especially around public holidays, to avoid last-minute issues or delays.
• 3. Language: Free Press Journal is an English newspaper. If your notice needs a vernacular paper, that is a different booking. In Maharashtra, some cases also need a Marathi newspaper, so it is best to check with your CA or lawyer before publishing.
• 4. Jurisdiction: If your case is in a Mumbai court, the Mumbai edition is usually used. If the property is in Pune, you may need a Pune-based newspaper instead, and Free Press Journal may not be suitable in that case.

6. How to Submit Your Public Notice

• Online: Free Press Journal’s website has an ad booking section where you can easily draft your notice, choose the edition and date, upload documents, and make payment online. This is a quick and convenient option, especially for simple classified notices.
• Offline: The Mumbai office also accepts walk-in bookings. You just need to carry the notice text, your ID proof, and the affidavit if required. The staff at the counter will check the format before confirming the booking.
• Through an authorized ad agency: For bulk or recurring notices, companies, government offices and legal firms usually go through an authorised release order agency. The rates can differ from walk-in bookings, but the process is easier, and approvals are generally handled faster.

💡 One honest note: For first-time notice publishers, it’s better to visit the office for the first booking. It makes the process clear right from the start. Once you’ve done it once, online bookings become much easier and quicker.

7. Approval, Proof, and Payment

After submission, the newspaper will send you a proof. This is basically a draft showing how your notice will appear once it is printed in the newspaper. Always check it very carefully to avoid any kind of errors before it goes live.

Always check all the details like the spelling of your name, document numbers, dates, and your address carefully. These are the common details that often get overlooked by most people. Remember even a small error, like a wrong affidavit number in a published notice, can create legal hassles and as a result you may have to republish the notice at full cost. That means your hard-earned money and effort both go to waste, so always review these things very carefully.

You will have to make the entire payment before the publication. In case of online bookings, you will have to pay at the time of checkout. For offline bookings, you will have to pay the applicable charges at the counter. The current GST applied is 5% on classified ad bookings. This 5% GST will be added to the actual amount required for your ad/notice. So, the total cost of your ad booking will be the booking amount plus 5% GST on that amount.

After your ad is published, you will receive a published copy. You can easily collect it from the newspaper office, or the newspaper authority may send it to your residential address by post, or it may be provided as a certified tear sheet, depending on your booking. Make sure to ask for this copy before finalizing your booking. Courts and government offices often require the original published copy with the newspaper header clearly visible.

8. Common Mistakes in Public Notice Classified Ads in Mumbai Newspapers

• Wrong newspaper for the jurisdiction: Free Press Journal mainly covers Mumbai. If your requirement is for Pune or Nashik, you will need a newspaper that circulates in those specific areas.
• Publishing before the affidavit is ready: For name change and lost document notices, the affidavit date should be on or before the publication date. If the affidavit comes later, it can create problems with some authorities and may turn into a separate issue altogether.
• Not specifying the date: A common mistake people make is not mentioning the publication date. If your notice has to appear on a specific date because it is linked to another filing, you must clearly say it while booking. Otherwise, the newspaper may publish it on any available date, which can cause issues later.
• Skipping the proof check: This is the costliest mistake. If there is a typo in a notice after it is published, you have to do the whole process again.
• Choosing a display advertisement unnecessarily: When a classified advertisement is sufficient, booking a display ad is a common mistake. Display advertisements are significantly more expensive, and most legal notices, such as name change, lost documents, and society AGM notices, do not require them.
• Assuming the online form auto-formats your content: It doesn't always do so. You should paste your content, check the preview carefully, and then submit it.

Disclaimer: The formats, guidelines, and information in this article are provided for general informational and educational purposes only. They do not constitute legal advice. Ad rates, GST policies, and newspaper requirements are subject to change. Always consult a qualified advocate or authority before publishing a legal notice.