Passport is issued by the Indian Government certify that holders are citizens of the Republic of India by birth or naturalization. This is as per the Passports Act, 1967. The CPV (Consular Passport & Visa) Division of the External Affairs Ministry works as central passport organization and it is also responsible for Indian passport issuance. The issuance of passport happens across 37 different locations around the country. There are 162 diplomatic missions abroad where Indian Passport is issued. These include consulates, High Commissions and Embassies.
What is an Indian Passport?
A Indian passport is an officially-issued document that permits the holder to travel to and from foreign countries. It also confirms that the holder is a citizen of the issuing country, as well as confirming the holder’s identity.
Why is a Passport Necessary?
A passport is a document issued by the government of the holder’s country certifying the holder’s identity and citizenship. It is necessary if an individual wishes to travel to a foreign country as it serves as the only acceptable form of identification. It can also be used as an identity document within the holder’s country or overseas.
New Passport Application Rules In India
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced new rules pertaining to the proof of Date of Birth (DOB) for passport applications. As per the new rules, an individual can apply for a passport by using various types of documents as proof of DOB. MEA has reviewed the existing rules that will help an individual to apply for a passport easily. MEA will also enable the passport head offices to function as a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK).
Prior to the announcement of new rules, any applicant born on or after 26/01/1989 was required to provide the Birth Certificate as the proof of DOB. Under the new rules, an individual can provide any of the following document as proof of DOB:
- A birth certificate issued by the municipal corporation or the registrar of births and deaths.
- A transfer certificate/school leaving/matriculation certificate issued by the school last attended.
- The Permanent Account Number (PAN) issued by Income Tax (IT) Department.
- The Aadhaar Card/E-Aadhaar issued by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
- A vehicle driving license issued by the state government's Regional Transport Department (RTO).
- A Voter ID card or Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
- Service record extract or Pay Pension Order with DOB (Applicable for government employees).
- A Policy Bond issued by the Public Life Insurance firms
Along with the Women and Child Ministry, MEA has offered a host of changes to the passport rules. Some of the interesting rules are:
- An applicant can provide the name of only one parent or legal guardian that allows single parents to apply for passports for their children.
- The total number of annexes has been brought down to 9 from 15 (prescribed in the Passport Rule, 1980)
- Few of the Annexes have been removed while some of them are merged to ease the process.
- The self-declaration can be provided on a plain paper and no attestations are required.
- The passport application form does not ask for the name of an individual’s spouse, if he/she is a divorcee.
- Orphaned children can submit a declaration given by the head of the orphanage or child care home that confirms the date of birth of the applicant.
- An in-country domestically adopted individual can give a declaration on a plain paper confirming the adoption instead of submitting the registered adoption deed.
- Seers and mendicants can provide the name of their spiritual guru as their biological parent’s name, however, they are required producing either the Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC), PAN card, or Aadhar card wherein the name of the guru has been mentioned against the parent’s name section.
Additionally, the government is installing point of sale (POS) machines at PSKs to facilitate the payment for tatkal passports. This will eliminate the need for cash transactions. Recently MEA has introduced various methods to reduce the processing time for passport applications. Besides, an individual can also apply for a passport by using the Aadhaar card that expedites the entire process. Please refer to MEA’s website for information related to passport applications.
Types Of Passport In India
There are 3 main types of passports issued by GOI under the Passport Act, 1967. They are -
- Type P / Ordinary passport- ‘P’ denotes ‘Personal’. These are Ordinary passports issued to ordinary individuals. They are general purpose passports that citizens normally use for travel on holiday or business.
- Type S / Official passport- ‘S’ denotes ‘Service’. These are Official passports issued to people travelling abroad on official government/state work.
- Type D / Diplomatic passport - ‘D’ denotes ‘Diplomat’. These are Diplomatic passports issued to people who always travel on official government work including those posted abroad.
Along with this, some passport offices in overseas missions and India can issue regular Indo-Sri Lankan passports and Indo-Bangladesh passports to the Indian citizens residing in Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, the North-Eastern states and West Bengal. The Indo-Sri Lanka passport and the Indo-Bangladesh passport are only valid for traveling to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh respectively and they cannot be used for traveling to any other foreign country.
What Does An Indian Passport Look Like?
The modern-day Indian passports come with a deep blue-black cover. The prints on the passport are golden in colour. At the centre of the front cover, the Emblem of India is printed. On top of the emblem, the word ‘Passport’ is inscribed in Hindi and English language. ‘Republic of India’ is inscribed in those two languages below the emblem on the cover page. Any standard passport has 36 pages in it. However, if an individual travels frequently, then he/she can apply for a passport that has 60 pages.
Identity Of Passport Holder
The following information is provided on the opening cover:
- Type (S-stands for Service; D-stands for Diplomat; P-stands for Personal)
- Passport number
- Country code
- Surname
- Nationality
- Given name(s)
- Gender
- Place of birth
- Date of birth
- Date of issue
- Place of issue
- Date of expiry
- Signature of the passport holder
- Photo of the passport holder
- Information page comes to an end with MRZ (Machine Readable Passport) zone
The following information is present on the closing end:
- File number
- Old passport number
- Address
- Name of spouse
- Name of mother
- Name of father or the legal guardian
What Are The Documents Required For Passport ?
The following documents are to be submitted when applying for an Indian passport:
| Sl No. | Required Documents |
|---|---|
| 1 | Application form |
| 2 | Electricity bill |
| 3 | Water bill |
| 4 | Income tax assessment order |
| 5 | Gas connection proof |
| 6 | Aadhaar Card |
| 7 | Registered rent agreement |
| 8 | Voter ID card |
| 9 | Telephone bill (mobile or landline) |
| 10 | Copy of spouse’s passport (provided the applicant’s current address matches the one mentioned in the spouse’s passport) |
| 11 | Active bank account passbook containing the applicant’s photograph (in case of public sector, private sector, regional banks only) |
| 12 | Letter from reputed employer |
| 13 | Copy of parent’s passport (for minor applicants) |
| 14 | Proof of date of birth document |
| 15 | Municipal birth certificate |
| 16 | Documentary proof for non-ECR categories (if applicable) |
Know more About documents required for passport renewal
How To Apply For Passport
To apply for passport online, one will have to log into the PSP site, online, at www.passportindia.gov.in and get an appointment or time slot to go to the PSK. This entails registering on the site i.e. creating a user id, or, if already registered, it entails logging in to the site with a valid id.
Users of the site will have to specify what kind of application it is i.e. fresh or reissue, normal or tatkal, type of passport i.e. regular, diplomatic or official. Users can also apply online for Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) and Identity Certificate. The required forms will have to be filled and either submitted online or downloaded and uploaded later. Applications that have been submitted or saved can also be viewed on the site. Information on documents required can be obtained here. It also features a fee calculator to know how much has to be paid. Fee payment is also processed online. One can find details of those PSKs that provide appointments only if fees are paid online first. The site eventually provides a user an application receipt.
To apply passport offline , applicants can download and print passport forms and submit them at passport collection centers or buy the form and submit it at the centers. However, other than PSKs, only applications for new passports will be accepted at collection centers.
For certain applicants such as minors, handicapped and senior citizens, applications can be submitted at PSKs without appointments i.e. as walk-ins. In this case, applications should be submitted online for generation of ARN. This ARN is required for walk-in without appointment. This is for cases such as tatkaal or getting PCC.
New Passport Application System In India
A new system for passport issuance was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2007. This system was approved under the Passport Seva Project. According to this project, activities associated with issuance of passports, dispatch of passports, linking them online with the police department for verification and centralized passport printing will be taken care of by the system. The new system has made the application process quick and hassle free. The applicant must apply for fresh or reissuance of passport via any of the 77 Passport Seva Kendras working across India.
Other travel documents may be issued under the Passport Act 1967. These include:
- Emergency Certificates
- Certificate of Identity
- Others
Fees Structure For Indian Passport
| Type | Charges |
|---|---|
| Renew passport or fresh passport with validity for 10 years (36 pages, regular size) | Rs.1,500 |
| Renew passport or fresh passport with validity for 10 years (60 pages, jumbo size) | Rs.2,000 |
| Renewal or First time applicant with ‘tatkal’ service and 10 years validity (36 pages, regular size) | Rs.3,500 |
| Renewal or First time applicant with ‘tatkal’ service and 10 years validity (60 pages, jumbo size) | Rs.4,000 |
| New passport for minors with validity for 5 years | Rs.1,000 |
| Replacement in case of lost, theft or damage of passport (36 pages, regular size) | Rs.3,000 |
| Replacement in case of lost, theft or damage of passport (60 pages, jumbo size) | Rs.3,500 |
How To Take Appointment For Passport
When applying for a passport in India, the applicant is required to present himself/herself to a Regional Passport Office for the purpose of verification of the information submitted in the application form.
An applicant is required to make an appointment for this purpose, which can be done in the following steps:
Step 1: Login To the online Passport Seva portal with registered login Id.
Step 2:Click on Apply for Fresh /reissue passport .
Step 3:Fill the required details in the form and submit.
Step 4: Click the "Pay and Schedule Appointment" link on the "View Saved/Submitted Applications" screen to schedule an appointment whereupon an appointment slot will be allotted to them.
Things that you must know about Passport rules
The External Affairs Ministry has introduced a brand new set of regulations that must be followed if you wish to get a passport. These set of new rules has made the process of issuing passports in India streamlined. These new guidelines are there so that the people of India can benefit from them.
The list of things that you must know before applying for a passport is given below:
- All the applicants must submit one of the following documents when applying for the passport
- Driving Licence
- Public Life Insurance Company issued policy bonds
- Election Photo Identity Card
- Pay pension order
- Service record (only in case of Government Employees)
- Aadhaar Card or E-Aadhaar
- PAN card
- Matriculation Certificate or school leaving certificate or transfer certificate
- Birth Certificate
- If you are separated or divorced, you will not have to enter the name of your spouse on the passport application form.
- Mother’s name, father’s name or legal guardian’s name must be there on the form. However, only one of the names should be mentioned. This enables all the single parents to apply for passports for the children. Passports are issued even if only the father’s name or the mother’s name is provided on the form.
- The annexes in the Passport Rule, 1980 to nine. Previously, it stood at fifteen. Some of the annexes have been merged and Annexes A, C, D, E, J and K have been removed.
- All annexes that must be provided by the applicants in self-declaration should be on plain paper. From now, no attestation, swearing by, executive magistrate, etc. are required.
- If a child is not born out of wedlock, applicant must submit Annexure G only while making the application.
- The marriage applicants are not required to submit annexure K or marriage certificate.
- For domestically adopted kids, submission of registered deed of adoption is not mandatory anymore.
- Children who do not have parents can submit authorized letter from the orphanage to avail passports.
- Sanyasis and Sadhus can also apply for passports with their spiritual Guru’s name on the application.
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