Ministry of External Affairs

For Information on India IT & Software visit

NASSCOM

Passports

IMPORTANT PASSPORT INFORMATION FOR INDIAN CITIZENS

In accordance with guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Government of India has introduced a new system of Machine Readable Passports. Under the new system all Indian passports will be issued at a central issuing office in New Delhi. The Embassy of India in Prague would not issue passports. All applicants are requested to register online at https://passport.gov.in and to bring a print out of the registration, along with application, prescribed fee and 4 passport-sized photographs (3.5 x 3.5 cm) on a white background to the Consular Section of the Embassy. The Embassy will electronically transfer the data to the Central Passport Issuing Office. The Machine readable Passport will be couriered to the Embassy for collection by the applicant.

The whole process may take 15-20 days; all applicants who need to have their passports renewed may therefore apply well in advance, to avoid visa problems due to delays in passport renewals.


General information for passport applicants

1. Application for renewal of passport can be submitted if the final validity of the passport is less than one year.

2. Old Passport in Original and additional booklet if any, additional booklet is not enough - with photocopy of all pages should be submitted along with application.

3. The validity of a passport cannot be extended beyond the date of its final validity. An application for reissuing a passport has to be submitted in the prescribed form along with the old passport and a copy thereof.

4. An applicant has the option to apply for an ordinary passport booklet of 36 pages or a Jumbo passport booklet of 60 pages of ten-year validity.

5. A separate passport must be obtained by every individual. A child's name can no longer be endorsed on a parent's passport.

6. The applicant should submit the application in person for identification.

7. Six recent photographs showing frontal view of full face against light background in civilian clothes taken in a studio (Polaroid photographs and photographs with dark glasses or uniforms are not accepted) should be submitted along with the application.

8. Minors are issued passports for 5 years or up to attaining 18 years, whichever is earlier.

9. Applicants are advised to ensure that their application in the prescribed format is complete in all respects; that all columns are correctly and legibly filled up and no column is left blank or unfilled or vaguely filled with a dash, tick, etc. All signatures in the application should be with ballpoint pen.

10. It is an offence under the Passport Act 1967 to furnish false information in the application. Passport facilities could be denied on grounds of suppression of material information, submission of incorrect particulars, wilful damage/loss of passport or for unauthorised change/tampering. The Passport can be impounded or revoked for violation of one or more of the provisions of the Passport Act.


Important information for Indian nationals

11. Apostille
Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, has started issuing Apostille stickers will be issued on certificates – personal such as birth and death, affidavits, power of attorney, marriage certificate etc and educational documents such as degrees, diplomas, matriculation and secondary level certificates. However, commercial documents are excluded from the purview of the Apostille Convention. As per the procedure, all documents should be first authenticated by the designated agencies in the State from where the document has been issued. In case of personal documents, Home Department/General Administration Department of the concerned State are the designated authorities. In case of educational documents, State Governments have now opened Regional Authentication Centers (RACs) (List is available on MEA’s website www. mea.gov.in) in States from where educational documents should first be attested. Documents attested by these authorities then need to be presented to MEA for issue of Apostilles. A fee of Rs. 50/- in form of Postal/Pay Order drawn in favour of PAO, MEA, New Delhi is payable for each Apostille sticker.

12. A passport expired more than six months back should be supported by a Sworn Affidavit explaining the circumstances and spelling out the reasons for late submission.

13. For change of address, attach documentary evidence such as tax receipt, electricity/telephone bill or Nativity Certificate issued by the Competent Authority of the State concerned.

14.Those Indian citizens acquiring citizenship/passport of another country should immediately surrender their Indian Passport to the Indian Embassy.


Please click here for required service/information: