Lok Sabha Question No. 1800 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-26
Subject: Criteria for Passports
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Richard Hay, PARBHUBHAI NAGARBHAI VASAVA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1800 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26.07.2017

## CRITERIA FOR PASSPORTS

1800.

PROF. RICHARD HAY:

SHRI PARBHUBHAI NAGARBHAI VASAVA:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the criteria required to be fulfilled for applying for a Passport;
- (b) the languages in which a passport is issued;
- (c) the  number  of  Regional  Passport  Offices  in  the  country  including Gujarat;
- (d) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  reduce  fee-structure  for getting  a  passport  especially  for  old  persons  and  children  in  the entire country and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government proposes to commence issuing passport in Hindi language also and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  open  more  Passport  Seva Kendras in the country and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]

- (a) An  application  for  issue  of  a  passport  under  the  Passports  Act, 1967 may be made to a Passport Issuing Authority for which the applicant must fulfill the following criteria:
- (i) that the applicant is a citizen of India;
- (ii)   that the applicant has not been, at any time during the period of five years immediately preceding the date of his application, been convicted  by  a  court  in  India  for  any  offence  involving  moral turpitude and sentenced in respect thereof to imprisonment for not less than two years;
- (iii)   that  proceedings  in  respect  of  an  offence  alleged  to  have  been committed  by  the  applicant  are  not  pending  before  a  criminal court in India;

(iv)   that  a  warrant  or  summons  for  the  appearance,  or  a  warrant  for the arrest, of the applicant has not been issued by a court under any law for the time being in force or that an order prohibiting the departure from India of the applicant has not been made by any such court; and (v) that the applicant has never applied for/ or been granted political asylum by any foreign country. (b) & (e) The pre-printed  portion  of  the  passport  is  in  both  Hindi  and English languages. The personal details of individuals in the passport are presently  printed  in  the  English  language  only.  It  has  been  decided  to print personal details of individuals in passports both in Hindi and English languages. (c) The total number of Regional Passport Offices in the country is 38 including two at Ahmedabad and Surat in Gujarat. (d) The Government has implemented with effect from 24 June, 2017 a new scheme under which senior citizens of the age of 60 years and above and minor children upto the age of eight years would be given a discount of  10  per  cent  on  the  applicable  passport  fee  on  fresh  application  for passports. (f) The Government has opened 14 Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) since May 2014 which includes all the States in the North East of India. Two more PSK at Siliguri in West Bengal and at Sholapur in Maharashtra are scheduled to be inaugurated shortly to take the total number of PSK in the country to 93. The Ministry of External Affairs in association with the Department of Posts has decided to open Passport Offices at the Head Post Offices (HPO) in the country called 'Post Office Passport Seva Kendra' (POPSK). The Government has announced the opening of 235 POPSK in two phases - 86 in Phase-I and 149 in Phase-II.  55 POPSK out of the 86 announced in Phase-I  are  functional  as  on  21  July,  2017.  With  the  addition  of  235 POPSK, the total number of Passport Seva Kendras including POPSK to have been set-up since May 2014 would be 251. There will be 93 PSK and 235 POPSK after the operationalization of all the PSK and POPSK announced in Phases I and II.  There will be 328 Passport  Seva  Kendras  in  the  country.  The  Government  thereafter intends to open POPSK in the HPO in the country in such a manner that there  is  a  Passport  Seva  Kendra  available  within  a  radius  of  50  km  of every HPO.

*****