How To Apply For A Passport?

What is a passport and why do we need it?

A passport is an official document issued by a country’s government that certifies your identity and citizenship. It is issued primarily for International travel. An Indian Passport is issued by the President of India through Passport Seva (Passport Service) unit of the Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs.  The passport is valid for 10 years, after which you have to renew the passport. If at the time of issuing the passport, the person is a minor (below the age of 18), the passport is valid for a period of 5 years.

Types of passports:

• Ordinary Passport (Dark blue color) - It is issued to ordinary citizens for routine travel. It is a “Type P” passport, where P stands for Personal.
• Official Passport (White color) – Issued to people representing the Indian Government. It is a “Type S” passport, where S stands for Service.
• Diplomatic Passport (Maroon color) – Issued to Indian Diplomats, top ranking government officials, and diplomatic couriers. It is a “Type D” passport, where D stands for Diplomatic.

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Contents of a Passport:

Passport has two important pages. The bio-data page at the opening of the document and demographics page at the end.

The Bio-Data page contains the following information:

• Type: "P"- (Personal), "D"-(Diplomatic), "S"-(Service)
• Country code: IND
• Passport number
• Surname
• Given name(s)
• Nationality
• Sex
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Place of issue
• Date of issue
• Date of expiry
• Photo Signature of the passport holder
• Ghost picture of the passport holder
• The information page ends with the Machine Readable Passport  Zone (MRZ).

  The Demographic page at the end of the document contains the following information:

• Name of father or legal guardian
• Name of mother
• Name of spouse
• Address
• Old passport number with date and place of issue
• File number

Documents required for passport application

For Adult/Senior citizen

1. Address Proof – Any of the following documents needs to be submitted as address proof while applying for a passport.

• Passbook of a bank account with any public sector bank (PSB), private bank, or regional rural banks (RRBs).
• Rental agreement
• Aadhaar Card
• Proof of gas connection
• Voter ID card
• Income Tax assessment Order  
• Electricity Bill
• Landline or Postpaid mobile bill
• Water bill
• Certificate from employer on a letter head with seal and signature
• Passport copy of spouse
• Copy of parents’ passport

2. Age Proof - Any of the following documents can be submitted as age proof .

• Birth Certificate
• Declaration given by the Head of the Orphanage/Child Care Home on the official letter head confirming the date of birth of the applicant.
• Driving License
• PAN Card
• Election Photo ID card
• Aadhaar Card
• Extract of the Service Record or Pay Pension Order (in case of government servants) duly attested by the Administrative officer of the concerned Ministry/Department of the government.
• School leaving certificate / Secondary school leaving certificate

For Minors

A person is considered a Minor, if he/she is below the age of 18. There’s no minimum age to apply for an Indian Passport. The following documents are required for passport application as a minor.

• First and last page of parents’ passport
• Aadhaar Card
• Current address proof in the name of the parent(s)
• Birth Certificate
• A declaration confirming details mentioned in the application on the minor applicant as per ‘Annexure D’.

How to apply for a passport?

Step 1: Register/create an account on the Passport Seva Portal to generate a User ID and Password

• Click on the “New User/Register Now” link on the Passport Seva home page.
• Follow the instructions and fill out details (Name, Date of Birth, E-mail ID and so on)
• Set your User ID and Password
• Click on the register button after entering all required details.
• Go to your E-mail and click on the link sent to you.

Step 2: Selecting the type of application

• Login using your User ID and password
• On the Application Home page, choose required type of application. You can choose one of the following options

1. Fresh Passport / Passport Reissue
2. Diplomatic Passport / Official Passport
3. Police Clearance Certificate
4. Identity Certificate

• Choosing the Apply for a Fresh / reissue of passport, takes you to the next step of the application.

This page also contains a link to view applications that had been saved and submitted. Once you submit your application form, you can return to this page to view it.

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Step 3: Filling the Application Form

You can fill the form online or offline.

• If you choose to fill the form offline, you can

1. Click on the link to “Download the form in soft copy”. It will take you to the Download e-Form page where you can download  the required application.
2. Fill the application e-Form
3. Click on the link ‘Upload e-form’ and upload/submit the filled in application.

• If you choose to fill the form online, click on the link provided to fill the online passport application form.

1. Follow the instructions and fill the application form.

• Passport Type (current page),
• Applicant Details, Family Details,
• Present Address, Present Address 1, Present Address 2,
• Emergency Contact,
• References,
• Previous Passport,
• Other Details,
• Self-Declaration

1. The different sections of the application form are:
2. Submit the duly filled form

Step 4: Payment and Scheduling an appointment

You have to make the payment and schedule an appointment to visit a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) where you have to present yourself.

• Go to the “Application Home” and click on ‘View Saved/Submitted Applications’. This will display a page containing details on  the application form submitted earlier

• Select the ARN (Application Reference Number) of your form.

• Click on “Pay and Schedule appointment”

• You can choose from two options – Online Payment and Challan Payment.

In order to pay by cash/challan

• Take the challan provided to an SBI branch  and pay the required amount in cash after waiting for at least 3 hours from the time that the challan was generated.

• The bank will take 2 days to verify ARN details.

• Successful payment will be displayed on the website where you track the payment status. Alternatively, an E-mail will be sent to you.

• On successful payment, you can schedule an appointment.

To pay online

1. Choose the payment method i.e. Net Banking or Card Payment

2. If the payment system doesn’t work, you can try again

3. You can track the status of your application by going to the Application Home page and selecting the Track Payment Status option

4. On successful payment, you can schedule an appointment.

• Once payment is complete, you schedule an appointment at a PSK.

• Select the Schedule an appointment option.

• This page displays available dates for appointments at PSKs as well as your ARN

• Select a PSK based on the availability

• Select the type of application (Normal or Tatkal)

• On successful completion of payment and scheduling, you receive an Appointment Confirmation and an Appointment Number.

• Click on Print Application Receipt at the bottom of the page

Step 5: Visit the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK)

• On the appointed date and time, go to the mentioned PSK with Application Receipt and carry one set of originals and one set of self-attested photocopies of all necessary documents.
• You need not carry any photographs as your photograph will be taken at the PSK.

How much does it cost to apply for a passport?

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