Passport rules changed, 10 things you should know to get a new one

The Ministry of External Affairs have come up with new set of rules in order to get hold of a brand new passport recently. These new rules have streamlined the process of issue of passports in India.

 

The citizens of India are the ones to be benefitted through these new set of guidelines.

 

Here are 10 things that you need to know before you apply for a passport:

 

• Applicants can now submit any one of the following documents as the proof of DOB while submitting the passport application – birth certificate, Transfer/School leaving/Matriculation Certificate, PAN Card, Aadhar Card/E-Aadhar, Copy of the extract of the service record of the applicant (only in respect of Government servants) or the Pay Pension Order, Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC), Policy Bond issued by the Public Life Insurance Corporations/Companies and driving license.  

 

• The Passport application form does not require the applicant to provide the name of her/his spouse in case of separated or divorced persons.

 

• The online passport application form now requires the applicant to provide the name of father or mother or legal guardian, i.e., only one parent and not both. This would enable single parents to apply for passports for their children and to also issue passports where the name of either the father or the mother is not required to be printed at the request of the applicant.

 

• The total number of Annexes prescribed in the Passport Rule, 1980, has been brought down to 9 from the present 15. Annexes A, C, D, E, J, and K have been removed and certain 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.

 

• Married applicants would not be required to provide Annexure K or any marriage certificate.

 

• In case of children not born out of wedlock, the applicant for the passport of such children should submit only Annexure G while submitting the passport application.

 

• In case of issue of passport to in-country domestically adopted children, submission of the registered adoption deed would no longer be required. In the absence of any deed to this effect, the passport applicant may give a declaration on a plain paper confirming the adoption.

 

• Orphaned children who do not have any proof of DOB such as Birth Certificate or the Matriculation Certificate or the declaratory Court order, may now submit a declaration given by the Head of the Orphanage/Child Care Home on their official letter head of the organization confirming the DOB of the applicant.

 

• Sadhus/ Sanyasis can apply for a passport with the name of their spiritual Guru mentioned in the passport application in lieu of their biological parent(s) name(s) subject to their providing of at least one public document wherein the name of the Guru has been recorded against the column(s) for parent(s) name(s).