We all know how hard it is to get the Passport in India. Passport is a very necessary document and every citizen should have it to travel abroad. But if you ask any random Indian citizen, if they have the passport yet? the most probable answer will be NO because getting the passport in India is more difficult than getting US visa for a citizen of Syria.!!
I remember! back in 2013 when I was shifting to Bangalore after my engineering, I had tried to get the Passport and yeah like many of other Indian citizens I also failed because of the complex procedure and countless of unrealistic rules.
If you are also like me who doesn’t have the Passport yet, then you will be happy to know that Ministry Of External Affairs has changed and added many rules, that will make the process of getting passport hassle free, this is also going to be a very big relief for single/divorced parents who were having more difficulties than others.
What Are The New Indian Passport Rules?
1. New Passport Rules For Date Of Birth Proof
Old Rules: – Only Birth Certificate were acceptable for the applicants born on or after January 26, 1989.
New Passport Rules For DOB Proof: Now there is eight document which can be submitted as the date of birth proof. Which are as follows –
- Birth Certificate
- Transfer/School leaving/Matriculation Certificate
- PAN Card with the DOB of the applicant
- Aadhar Card/E-Aadhar having the DOB of the applicant
- Driving license issued by the concerned State Government, having applicant’s DOB
- Voter I-Card issued by the Election Commission of India having the DOB of the applicant
- Policy Bond issued by the Public Life Insurance Corporations/Companies having the DOB of the holder of the insurance policy
- The copy of the service record or the Pay Pension Order of the working/retired government servants duly attested or certified by the officer-in-charge.
2. Only One Parent’s or Legal Guardian’s Name is Necessary
This would be extremely helpful for single/divorced parents who wanted to get the passport for their child and also in the case of adopted children.
Old Rules: Name of the both parents(Mother & Father) was necessary while applying for the children’s passport.
New Rules For Parent’s Name: Name of either father, mother or legal guardian would be enough in the online passport application form.
Mentioning the name of the spouse is NOT necessary for separated or divorced applicants, even submitting the divorce ukase is not required for such applicants.
3. Married applicants need not to provide Annexure K or any marriage certificate.
4. If the children not born out of wedlock, the applicant for the passport of such children should submit only Annexure G while submitting the passport application.
5. Submission of the registered adoption documents would no longer be necessary to in-country domestically adopted children. The passport applicant may give a declaration on a plain paper confirming the adoption in the absence of any deed to this effect.
6. Reduced The Number Of Annexes For Good
There were total 15 Annexes prescribed in the Passport Rule, 1980 but Now it has been brought down to 9. Annexes A, C, D, E, J, and K have been removed and some Annexes have been merged.
All the annexes that are required to be given by the applicants would be in the form of a self-declaration on a plain paper. No attestation/swearing by/before any Notary/Executive Magistrate/First Class Judicial Magistrate would be henceforth necessary.
7. Date Of Birth Proof For Orphan Children
Orphaned children without any date of birth proof may now submit a declaration given by the Head of the Orphanage/Child Care Home on their official letterhead of the organisation mentioning and confirming the DOB of the applicant.
8. New Indian Passport Rules For Sadhus/Sanyasis
Sadhus/Sanyasis can apply for a passport with the name of their spiritual Guru mentioned in the passport application instead of their biological parent’s name. Sadhus/Sanyasis also need to submit at least one public documents like Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission of India, PAN card, Adhar Card, etc. Name of their Guru could be mentioned in the columns for parent’s name.
9. Government servants, who are not able to obtain the Identity Certificate (Annexure-B)/ No-Objection Certificate (Annexure-M) from their concerned employer and intend to get the passport on urgent basis can now get the passport by submitting a self-declaration in Annexure-‘N’ that he/she has given prior Intimation letter to his/her employer informing that he/she was applying for an ordinary passport to a Passport Issuing Authority.
You can find the full MEA announcements here.
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