Emergency Certificate (EC)
What is an Emergency Certificate?
Emergency certificate is only issued if India does not grant a new passport clearance. This is a one-way travel certificate that is provided to Indian people who are in a foreign country and need to return to India urgently. The certificate will be given to applicants in the event that their passports are lost, stolen, or damaged while they are overseas. This document is valid for one month, during which time you must return to India.
Table of Contents
- Documents required to apply for an Emergency Certificate
- Reasons to apply for an Emergency Certificate
- How to apply for Emergency Certificate?
- What Is a Passport Identity Certificate? (EC travel term)
- What is Passport Surrender Certificate?
- Who can apply for Passport Surrender Certificate?
- Fee for Surrender Certificates
- Documents Required Surrender Certificate
- LoC Permit Certificate
- Documents Required for LoC Permit Certificate
If you're traveling abroad for a holiday or business and realize you've lost your passport, it can be stressful, but there's no need to panic. Act quickly and follow the procedure for applying for a new passport. Visit the Indian Mission or Consulate in the country where you are and meet with a consular officer to assist you with the replacement process.
Documents required to apply for an Emergency Certificate
The below listed documents are required to apply for an Emergency Certificate:
- Police Report: Submit a detailed report if your passport is lost or stolen.
- Incident Report: Write a letter explaining the situation to the Consulate General of India.
- Affidavit: A notarized affidavit may be required.
- Photographs: Provide up to 10 recent passport-sized photos.
- Proof of Identity: Old passport copies, Indian photo ID (PAN card, Voter ID, Driver’s License, etc.), school certificate, or birth certificate.
- Residence Proof: Proof of stay in the foreign country and address in India.
Reasons to apply for an Emergency Certificate
The below listed are some of the reasons where you can apply for an Emergency Certificate:
- Loss, theft, or damage to your passport while abroad.
- Expiration of your passport with an urgent need to travel back to India.
- Inability to renew your passport abroad due to legal, documentation, or other constraints.
- Deportation or repatriation cases where the individual requires official documentation to return to India.
This certificate is typically valid for a single journey back to India and is issued by Indian missions or consulates.
How to apply for Emergency Certificate?
An Emergency Certificate can only be obtained by applying in person at an Indian consulate. To analyse and decide on the application, consulate officials will conduct a personal interview. Except for an in-person interview, the application cannot be submitted online, via mail, or in any other way.
In the event of deportation, the Emergency Certificate will be issued straight to the foreign country's deportation official.
Follow the steps given below to apply for an Emergency Certificate:
Step 1: Locate the nearest Indian embassy or consulate in the foreign country where you are.
Step 2: Fill out the application form for the emergency certificate, available online or at the mission.
Step 3: Submit proof of identity, recent photographs, and any available details of your lost passport or ID.
Step 4: Pay the applicable processing fee.
Step 5: Complete the interview with the consular officer for verification.
Step 6: After completing the process, the EC will be issued for your return to India.
What Is a Passport Identity Certificate? (EC travel term)
Identity Certificate or IC is issued to the Tibetan refugees staying in India. This is carried out from the RPO (Regional Passport Office) in Delhi when recommended by the Bureau of HHDL (His Holiness the Dalai Lama), New Delhi. Along with the refugees from Tibet, stateless individuals can also apply for the IC (Identity Certificate) at the Regional Passport Office. They must apply under the jurisdiction of their residence at present.
The Identity Certificate issuance is subject to get clearance by the External Affairs Ministry (CPV (Consular Passport and Visa) Division). Along with this, clearance is also required from the State Government (Police Department / Home Affairs Department) and FRRO for the grant of NORI (No Objection to Return to India) to get stamped on the IC (Identity Certificate).
The application form for the IC or Identity Certificate is available on the official website of the Passport Seva service. Log on to passportindia.gov.in and download the passport application form for the Identity Certificate. All Tibetan refugees who are currently residing in India must submit a properly completed Identity Certificate application form at the Regional Passport Office in Delhi. The fee associated with the Identity Certificate is Rs.1,000.
What is Passport Surrender Certificate?
Passport holders are given a surrender document so that their passports can be cancelled. This is mostly done by those who choose to give up their Indian citizenship in exchange for a foreign one. Official/Diplomatic passport holders, in addition to these passport holders, apply for surrender certificates for their diplomatic / official / ordinary passports. It is mandatory to surrender your Indian passport within 90 days of naturalisation in a new nation if you are obtaining a new citizenship.
Who can apply for Passport Surrender Certificate?
The process of getting a surrender certificate involves a few simple steps and involves a fee for people looking to forego Indian citizenship. For other categories of applicants such as diplomatic passport holders, the process involves visiting a passport office in person and only after that applying for the surrender certificate.
Fee for Surrender Certificates
For surrender certificates, the fee is Rs.270 with the processing time of one day
Documents Required Surrender Certificate
Following documents are required to apply for a surrender certificate:
A copy of the missing passport and a copy of the police report (FIR) reporting the loss
A copy of the traveler's hotel reservation or lodging.
A letter from an individual outlining the events that made an emergency certificate necessary.
Employer certificate (updated in English) stating current residential address and passport number for holders of work permit cards.
Three photographs of the applicant.
LoC Permit Certificate
For Jammu and Kashmir residents who want to travel to see their close relatives who live on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC), RPO Srinagar and RPO Jammu issue LoC Permits. People who need this permit for valid reasons like attending a wedding are granted it.
These LoC Permits can also be issued by Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PAK) authorities to Jammu and Kashmir residents who are staying on their side of the Line of Control. The LoC Permit application can be downloaded from the Passport Seva portal.
You can download the form by visiting the website passportindia.gov.in. After downloading, the form must also be printed out. There is no fee associated with the Line of Control Permit. It is free of cost.
Documents Required for LoC Permit Certificate
A copy of the following documents must be submitted in addition to copy of the LoC Permit application form, properly completed and signed in blue or black ink:
Proof of date of birth (any one of the following documents)
Matriculation Certificate
S.M.C. or T.A.C. Certificate
Address proof (any one of the following documents)
Utility bills
Certificate of State Subject attested by a Gazetted Officer
Identity Certificate issued by the Election Commission of India
Read More About Other Passport Related Pages
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- Online Appointment for Passport
- Passport for Retired Government Officials
- Indian Passport for US Born Child to Indian Parents
- Short Validity Passport
- Passport Renewal and Re-issue
- Indian Passport Position in the World
- Reasons for Rejection of Passport
- Emergency Travel Document
- Passport Fee Calculator
- Change of Appearance
- Know Your Police Station for Passport
- Postal Dispatch of Passport
FAQs on Emergency Travel Document
- What obligations do I have when I apply for a passport if my current one has been lost or damaged?
If the passport is lost when traveling outside of India, it should be reported right away to the closest police station, the passport office, or the Indian Mission. You can request a "Re-issue" of your passport if necessary. Please click the "Documents Required" link on the home page to view the complete list of documents that must be provided with the application form.
- What should I do if I misplace my passport and need to go to India right away because of an urgent situation, such a critical illness or a death in the family?
Passport losses should be reported right once to the Indian Mission and the Police Station. You must get in touch with the relevant Indian Mission or Post. Normally, after confirming an individual's Indian nationality, origin, or specifics, an Emergency Certificate (EC) is provided for travel to or from India.
- The passport book is damaged. I need to leave the country immediately. What should I to do?
You can apply for a new passport through the Tatkaal program if your old one has not been irreparably damaged, meaning that your name, passport number, and photo are all still legible. The passport office, however, has the final say over passport issuing under the Tatkaal program. But you cannot apply for the Tatkaal program if your passport is irreparably destroyed.
- What is the process for requesting a duplicate passport in the event that the original is lost or damaged?
Passports are not issued in duplicate. A new passport with a different passport number, however, might be issued with a new validity period. The applicant must submit an application with the explanation "Lost/Damaged Passport" under the "re-issue" category.
- I stay in Germany and have lost my Indian passport and I do not have a copy. What should I do?
When a passport is lost, damaged, or stolen, it is not necessary to submit a photocopy of the old passport. If it can be made, it should. However, when completing the passport application form, you will need to present the information from your prior passport, including the passport number, date of issue, date of expiration, and place of issue. You should get in touch with the relevant Mission or Post if you don't have that information.
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