In order to liberalize and ease the process of issues of passport the ministry of external affairs has issued a new set of rules for the benefit of the passport applicants.
The applicants who are born after 26.01.1989 should submit the birth certificate as proof for date of birth. All applicants shall submit any one of the following documents as proof of birth.
1.Birth certificate issued by the registrar of births and deaths or the municipal corporation or any prescribed authority.
2.Transfer certificate or school leaving certificate or matriculation certificate issued by the school last attended or recognised educational board containing DOB of the applicant.
3.PAN card issued by the Income Tax Department with the date of birth of the applicant.
4.Aadhar card or E-aadhar with date of birth of the applicant.
5.Copy of extract service of the service record of the applicant in case if the applicant is a government service or the pay pension order in respect of retired government servants duly attested or certified he officer or in charge of the administration of the concerned ministry or department of applicant having DOB.
6.Driving licence issued by the transport department of concerned state government having date of birth of applicant.
7.Policy bond issued by public life insurance corporations or companies having date of birth of the policy holder.
The following policy changes have been on the basis of recommendations of a three member committee appointed by the external affairs ministry.
The online passport application form now requires the applicant to provide the name of the mother or legal guardian. Name of only one parent should be mentioned not both, thus enabling the single parents to apply passport to the children.
The total number of annexes prescribed in the Passport rule 1980 has been brought down to 9 from the present 15. No attestation or swearing by before any notary or an executive magistrate or a first class judicial magistrate will be necessary. Married applicants need not provide any to provide annexure K or any marriage certificate. The applicant need not provide the details of his/her spouse in case of divorcee. Divorce decree need not be submitted.
Orphaned children who do not have proof of DOB may submit a declaration given by the head of the orphanage or the child care home on their official letter head confirming the date of birth of the applicant. In case if a child is not born out of wedlock, Annexure G should be submitted by the applicant along with the passport application. In case of adoption, the person who has domestically adopted the child can give a declaration in a plain paper confirming the adoption in absence of an adoption deed.
Government servants who are not able to obtain identity certificate or No objection certificate from their concerned employer and who need passport on urgent basis can submit a self declaration along with the application that they have given prior information to their employer that they are applying for an ordinary passport.
Sadhus/Sanyasis can apply for passport with the name of their spiritual guru mentioned in the passport application in lieu of their biological parents name subject to their providing at least one public document such as election photo identity card, PAN card, Aadhar card, where the gurus name is mentioned in the column against the parents name.