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.
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.
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) |
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 |
