Indian Passport

Types of Passports Issued in India

There are two main types of passports that are issued to individuals by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. They are:

• Ordinary passport: Ordinary passports are issued to ordinary individuals. These passports are for general purpose which enables the holders to travel to foreign countries on business or holidays.
• Diplomatic passport: Diplomatic passports are issued to the designated members authorized by Indian government travelling to foreign countries on official duties.
• Official Passport: Issued to designated Government officials or any other individual deputed overseas on official assignment who has been officially authorised by the Government.

How to Apply for an Indian Passport

An individual can apply online for the Indian passport through the Passport Seva website or the passport Seva app. The detailed procedure of applying for the passport is mentioned below:

Step 1: To apply for a passport, you first have to register on the passport seva online portal. If you already have an account on the portal, you can just log in with your registered login ID and password.

Step 2: Next, click on the ‘Apply for fresh passport/re-issue of passport’ tab from the options.

Step 3: After you click that link, a form will appear on your window. Fill this form with all the required details and submit the application.

Step 4: Then you will have to pay an application fee and schedule an appointment date by going to the ‘Pay and Schedule Appointment’ page under the ‘View Saved/Submitted Applications’ tab.

Step 5: After paying the application fee and scheduling an appointment, you should print the application form and the application receipt containing the Application Reference Number (RAN).

Step 6: Next, visit the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) or Regional Passport Office (RPO) on the date of appointment along with the original documents.

To apply for an Indian passport offline, applicants need to download and get a printout of the application form before submitting them at the passport collection centers. Another alternative is to buy the application form, fill it up and submit it at the centre along with the relevant documents.

Fees Structure for Indian Passport

Check here to know the detailed Fees Structure for Indian Passport.

Passport Seva Project

The Passport Seva Project was launched by the Ministry of External Affairs with the goal to deliver passport services to every citizen of India in a convenient way. Under this project, the Ministry of External Affairs is aiming to set up Passport Seva Kendra (PSKs) all over the country, a Data Centre and Disaster Recovery Centre and a call centre. These call centres will operate in every Indian language.

The Passport Seva Kendras have now taken on the role of an extension of the Regional Passport Offices. Before submitting an application for a passport, you can check the jurisdiction of the Regional Passport Office and the Passport Seva Kendra.

Reschedule/Cancel an Appointment

If you want to reschedule or cancel your passport appointment, you can follow the simple steps mentioned below:

Step 1: Visit https://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/welcomeLink.

Step 2: Click on ‘Existing User’

Step 3: Login with your credentials

Step 4: Click on ‘Submitted Applications/Saved Applications’

Step 5: You will view two options: either reschedule the appointment or cancel it.

Step 6: To reschedule, select the preferrable date as per your convenience and click on ‘Book Appointment’

Manual Submission of Applications

For the manual submission of the application form for a passport, you should visit the Passport Office with a filled application form, and the self-attested copy of the documents. You should also have the original documents with a colour photograph (4.5 cm X 3.5 cm) with a white background.

Follow the simple steps that are mentioned below:

Step 1:You should submit the application with the requisite fees. You can visit www.passportindia.gov.in. for more details.

Step 2:The official at the DPC counter will verify your application form and once this is done, you can pay the fees in form of Demand Draft (DD).

Step 3:You can then collect the Acknowledgment Letter after paying the fee which has a File Number. The file number can be used for tracking the file status using the ‘Track Application Status’ link.

Online NRI Passport Application

• This facility is available for all Non-Resident Indians (NRI). They can apply for a passport online at many Indian Missions or Posts.
• Services like reissue of passport, fresh passport, children passport, and new passport can be availed through the service.
• You can fill the online form by giving information like the name of the mission, family details, personal details, and previous passport information.
• To get access to the service, visit http://passport.gov.in/nri/.

Documents Required for Indian Passport

When an individual applies for a passport, he/she is required to submit certain documents:

• Passport application form
• Proof of address
• Proof of date of birth
• Documentary proof for any one of the Non-ECR categories

1. For Proof of Address
• Passbook of running bank account having the photo of the applicant
• Landline or postpaid mobile bill
• Rental agreement
• Electricity bill
• Voter ID card issued by Election Commission of India
• Water bill
• Income Tax Assessment order
• Proof of Gas connection
• Aadhaar card
• Copy of the first and last page of parent’s passport, in case of minors
• Certificate from employer of reputed companies on their letterhead
• Copy of the first and last page of the spouse’s passport mentioning the applicant’s name as spouse of the passport holder.
2. For Proof of Date of Birth:
• Aadhaar card/e-Aadhaar
• Permanent Account Number (PAN) card
• Voter ID card issued by the Election Commission of India
• Driving licence
• A declaration given by the Head of the Orphanage or Child Care Home confirming the date of birth of the applicant in its official letterhead
• Birth certificate.
• Transfer certificate/school
• The copy of an extract of the service record of the applicant (only for government employees) or pension order (retired government employees) which is duly attested or certified by the officer of the concerned department of the applicant
• The copy of the policy bond that is issued by the Public Life Insurance Corporation/Companies having the date of birth of the holder of the insurance policy.

How to Book Appointment for Indian Passport

Follow the simple steps mentioned below to book an appointment for Indian passport:

Step 1:Login to the online Passport Seva portal with registered login ID and password.

Step 2:Click on the ‘Apply for Fresh /reissue passport’ link.

Step 3:Fill the required details and submit the application form

Step 4:Next, click on the ‘Pay and Schedule Appointment’ link which is located under the ‘View Saved/Submitted Applications’ screen to schedule the appointment.

Step 5:On doing so, the appointment slot will be allotted to the applicant.

New Passport Application Rules in India

• All the recent Indian passports contain the personal details about the holder on the second page of the document.
• The new passports have the applicant’s picture on the right side of the passport’s second page.
• Emigration check is required for all people who hold ECR passports.
• ECNR passports can be availed by:
  • Indians holding at least the matriculation certificate
  • Indian born in a foreign country
  • Official or Diplomatic passport holders
  • Gazetted Government servants
  • All individuals who pay income tax
  • The professional degree holders and graduates like lawyers, doctors, engineers, scientists, chartered accountants, etc.
  • Dependent children and spouses
  • Seamen in possession of CDC
  • All individuals above the age of 50 years
  • All nurses who possess qualifications that are recognized under the Indian Nursing Council Act of 1947
  • All children above the age of 18 years
  • All individuals who have stayed in foreign countries for more than 3 years
  • All people who have diplomas from SCVT (State Council of Vocational Training) or NVCT (National Council for Vocational Training)
• Both Hindi and English languages are printed on the Indian.
• If the applicant is separated or divorced, they would not be required to enter the name of the spouse in the passport application form.
• The name of either the applicant’s mother, father or legal guardian must be provided in the passport application form.
• Some of the annexes in the Passport Rule, 1980, have been merged and brought to nine from the existing 15.
• The annexes must be provided by the applicants on plain paper which is self-declared. Going forward, no attestation or swearing by executive magistrates would be required.
• For a child not born out of wedlock, only Annexure G must be submitted while making the passport application.
• Applicants who are married need not submit Annexure K or marriage certificate.
• Submission of registered deed of adoption is not required anymore for domestically adopted kids. Orphaned kids can submit authorized letter from the orphanage.
• Sanyasis and Sadhus can apply for Indian passports with their spiritual Guru’s name on the passport application.

Documents Required for Out of Turn Passports

The documents required for out of turn passports are mentioned below:

1. If the applicant is 18 years and above can submit any two of the documents mentioned below:
• Ration card.
• Voter ID issued by the Election Commission of India.
• Self-passport that is unrevoked and undamaged.
• The birth certificate is issued under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act.
• PAN card.
• Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe/Other Backward Caste certificate.
• Driving licence
• Identity card issued by the state or central government, public sector undertakings, local bodies or public limited companies.
• Identity card issued by an educational institution.
• Arms license.
• Pension document such as Ex-servicemen’s pension book or Pension Payment order, ex-servicemen’s widow/dependent certificate, and old age pension order.
• Bank/Post office/Kisan passbook.
2. If the applicant is below 18 years, he/she needs to submit any one of the documents that are mentioned below:
• Photo Identity card issued by an educational institution.
• Ration card.
• Birth certificate issued under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act.

Note: For both 18 & below 18 years of age, addition to the above documents, a copy of the Aadhaar card/e-Aadhaar/28-digit Aadhaar enrolment ID printed on the Aadhaar enrolment slip issued by UIDAI and a self-declaration prescribed in Annexure-E of the Passport rules, 1980 are required.

3. Applicant for out-of-turn passports under Tatkaal scheme

The documents required to be submitted are the same as the ones that are needed to be submitted if the application is filed under the normal scheme. It needs to be mentioned that no proof of urgency needs to be submitted by the applicant for the issuance of out-of-turn passports under the Tatkaal scheme. Apart from that, another thing that applicants need to know is that police verification will be carried out after the passport is issued to the applicant under both the normal and Tatkaal schemes.

Passport Issuing Authorities and Collection Centers

As mentioned earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs works through the Central Passport Organization (CPO) and its network of Passport Offices, Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in the country and through embassies and consulates outside India for the issuance of passports and other passport-related services.

• MEA - The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is the government arm that takes care of the issuance of passports, re-issue of the document or other miscellaneous services, the ministry is in charge.

• CPV - The Consular, Passport and Visa Division of the Ministry of External Affair works for the issuance of passports. The CPV at Patiala House, New Delhi, processes applications for Official and Diplomatic passports.
• DPC, SPC, CSC - District Passport Cells, Speed Post Centers and Citizen Service Centers can only process applications for fresh passports and not reissue, Tatkaal or other cases.
• PSK - Passport Seva Kendras are extensions of POs through which front-end passport-related processes and services are carried out. It is the physical space where applicants must physically present themselves after getting an online appointment. This is where required documents are submitted, photographs taken and applications are reviewed before being passed on to the Passport Office for processing. There are 77 PSKs in India functioning under the PPP model under which human and technological resources are provided by TCS.
• PSLK - Passport Seva Laghu Kendras are also extensions of POs providing similar services as PSKs, except that these were set up to cover certain areas such as eastern and north-eastern areas. They help ease the burden of PSKs in these regions that handle applications from a large jurisdiction. There are 16 PSLKs in India but these do not function under the PPP model. They are entirely set up, operated and controlled by the government.
• PO/RPO - Passport Offices/Regional Passport Offices issue / deny issue of / impound passports. POs carry out back-end passport-related processes and services. They exercise authority over PSKs. They process applications, and print and send out approved passports. They deal with the MEA, state police and state administration. They also handle financial, legal and RTI activities. There are 37 passport offices in India.
• Indian Missions Abroad - The MEA works through about 180 Indian Mission / Posts for issuance of passports outside India. These include Indian Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates.

FAQs on Indian Passport

1. How to check the Indian Passport Application Status?

To check your passport application status, you have to visit the official website of Passport Seva and click on ‘Track Application Status’. Then, choose your application type and enter your file number and date of birth. Lastly, click ‘Track Status’.

2. Procedure for Police Verification of Indian Passport

There are a few cases where police verification is not required. If the applicant wants to know what he/she is required to do in order to get the police verification done, applicants can log into the passport seva website.

3. How does the processing of Indian Passport Applications at Passport Seva Kendras work?

While applying for a passport, an individual is required to visit the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) on the date of appointment to finish the last part of the application process. Final verification and approval of the passport application take place at Passport Seva Kendra.

4. How to check ECR/ECNR Passport Status?

The ECR and ECNR denotes whether the passport holder needs emigration clearance for travelling to the specific 18 countries listed by the Government of India. The information regarding the status of ECR/ECNR is provided on the second page of the passport.

5. How to change the address in the Indian Passport Application Form?

The passport holder can update the address by applying for a re-issue of the passport. The person can do it online or offline according to their convenience.

6. How can government employees apply for an Indian Passport?

The individual has to first send ‘Prior Intimation ‘(PI) letter to the controlling authority before applying for the passport. This is required to be done to speed up the whole application process. The rest of the process is mostly similar to the process followed by ordinary citizens of the country.

7. How many days does it take to get an Indian Passport?

When a normal application is filed, the passport is issued to the applicant within 30-45 days while if the application is made under the Tatkaal mode, the passport is issued within 7-14 days.

8. What is Type P Passport in India?

Type P passports are regular passports which are issued to ordinary citizens of the country. The passport can be used to travel to foreign countries for personal trips, business trips, educational purposes, etc. In Type P passports, ‘P’ stands for ‘personal’.

9. Is having a permanent address necessary while applying for an Indian passport?

No, a permanent address is not mandatory while applying for an Indian passport. However, the applicant needs to provide the current address which will be shown in the issued passport.

10. What is a maroon passport in India?

The Diplomatic passport which is issued to Indian diplomats, top-ranked government officials and diplomatic couriers is known as a ‘Maroon Passport’ in the country. The passport has a maroon cover and is also known as ‘Type D’ passport.

11. Which is the passport issuing authority in India?

The passport issuing authority in the country is the concerned Regional Passport Office(RPO) where all the important decisions with regards to the passport are taken.

12. What is the validity of the Indian passport?

The Indian passport which is issued to the ordinary residents of the country is valid for a period of ten years. For a minor, the validity is restricted to a maximum of five years.