All You Need to Know About the Maroon Passport in India

The passport is issued by the government to an Indian resident depending on their reason for application, as well as their status. For instance, government officials who are travelling to a foreign country for office work are issued white passports.

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On the other hand, ordinary people who are travelling to other countries for family trips or business trips will get a navy-blue passport. Similarly, the high-ranking government officials who represent India abroad are issued diplomatic passports.

The diplomatic passport is issued in maroon colour and is also known as a Type D passport.

This part is specifically issued to the reserved people who work in Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) departments. The passport comes maroon colour with a diplomatic passport written in Hindi and English.

Who Can Apply for a Maroon Passport in India?

The people who are travelling abroad on behalf of the Indian government for official work purposes are eligible to get a maroon passport. But they should be foreign service officers who are assigned duties in a foreign country. Regular citizens who are travelling for leisure or business purposes are not eligible for this passport.

The following are the eligibility criteria for getting a maroon passport in India:

  1. All officers of the Indian Foreign Services and the Ministry of External Affairs (MoEA) who are on official business abroad.
  2. People with diplomatic status.
  3. Blood relations, spouses, and other relatives who are dependent on officers who fit under categories 1 and 2
  4. Officials appointed by the Indian government to perform official duties overseas

Benefits of the Maroon Passport

The primary benefit of the Maroon passport is that it provides a special status to the passport holder which means their migration procedure will be fast. However, the benefits of the diplomatic passport can vary from nation to nation.
The following are the common advantages of a maroon passport India holder:

  1. The diplomats are provided special treatment during the trip and for the migration, they must use a different airport channel.
  2. They do not need to Handle immigration-related queries at the airport.
  3. Travelling to foreign nations is affordable because it is tax-free.
  4. The officials enjoy special status abroad.

How to Apply for a Maroon Passport

As diplomatic passports are exclusively issued to high-ranking officials, the application process differs significantly from that of a regular passport. If the applicants meet the eligibility criteria, they can easily apply for a passport at the passport division in New Delhi.
Now let us have a look at the procedure on how to apply for a maroon passport by following the steps given below:

  1. Visit https://www.passportindia.gov.in/
  2. Log in with your newly created login id
  3. Click on "Apply for a Diplomatic Passport"
  4. Enter all your basic details and click on submit
  5. Carry all the important documents and the duly filled application form to the Consular, Passport, and Visa (CPV) Division

Documents Needed for the Maroon Passport

The following are the important documents needed to apply for a maroon passport in India:

  1. Identity card of the individual
  2. Request letter from Forwarding Officer
  3. Prime Minister's Office (PMO)/Political Clearance Certificate
  4. Certificate from Head Office
  5. A printed copy of the duly filled application form
  6. Other basic documents

Diplomatic passports are issued to officers with high official rank and service obligations, as a result, after the assignment is completed or completed, these diplomatic passports must be returned to their relevant agency.

FAQs on Maroon Passport India

  • Who is eligible to apply for a Maroon Passport?

    A maroon passport can be obtained by those who are going overseas on official business while representing the Indian government. However, they ought to be foreign service officials with assignments abroad. 

  • What does a Maroon Passport mean?

    The diplomatic passport, also called a Type D passport, is issued in maroon. This section is exclusively distributed to the reserved individuals employed by the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Administrative Service (IAS), and Indian Police Service (IPS). 

  • Which passport is more powerful – White or Maroon?

    Among the white and maroon passports, the white passport is more powerful. This passport is issued to government officials only. 

  • Which color passport is given to government employees?

    Government employees are issued white color passports. 

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