India has simplified the process of applying and renewing the passport by introducing new passport rules on 23rd December 2016.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs states the steps are being taken in order to streamline, liberalize and ease the process of issue of passport which they feel will benefit the citizens of India applying for a passport.
The details of these steps are given below:-
PROOF OF DATE OF BIRTH
From 23rd December, a number of options will be considered as proof of date of birth.
Previouldy, all the applicants born on or after 26/01/1989 had to mandatorily submit the Birth Certificate as the proof of Date of Birth (DOB).
It has now been decided that all applicants of passports can submit any one of the following documents as the proof of DOB while submitting the passport application:
(i) Birth Certificate
(ii) Transfer/School leaving/Matriculation Certificate with the DOB of applicant
(iii) PAN Card issued by the Income Tax Department with the DOB of applicant
(iv) Aadhar Card/E-Aadhar having the DOB of applicant
(v) Copy of the extract of the service record of the applicant (only in respect of Government servants) or the Pay Pension Order (in respect of retired Government Servants) with the DOB
(vi) Driving licence with the DOB
(vii) Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) with the DOB of applicant
(viii) Policy Bond issued by the Public Life Insurance Corporations/Companies having the DOB
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Huge relief for single, separated or divorced couples and parents and those who have adopted kids
A three-member Committee comprising of the officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Women and Child Development was constituted to examine various issues pertaining to passport applications where mother/child has insisted that the name of the father should not be mentioned in the passport and also relating to passport issues to children with single parent and to adopted children.
The Report of the Committee has been accepted by the Minister of External Affairs and the following policy changes have been made based on these recommendations:
(a) 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.
(b) Married applicants would not be required to provide marriage certificate.
(c) The Passport application form does not require the applicant to provide the name of her/his spouse in case of separated or divorced persons. Such applicants for passports would not be required to provide even the Divorce Decree.
(d) 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.
(e) 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.
(f) 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.
