Lok Sabha Question No. 577 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-20
Subject: Passport Seva Project
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Ramya  Haridas

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.577 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.11.2019

## PASSPORT SEVA PROJECT

## 577.     MS. RAMYA HARIDAS:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to extend Passport Seva Project to all the Indian missions and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has directed Indian missions to issue passports in less than 48 hours to citizens abroad and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Indian missions have been digitally linked with the data centre back home to speed up the process of issuing passport and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to simplify rules and regulations for passport applicants and digital verification of their information and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government proposes to issue new set of passports with all kinds of security features and better printing and paper quality; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]

(a) to (c) The Ministry is in the process of linking and integrating all the Missions and Posts abroad with the Passport Seva Project (PSP). As on 14 November, 2019, the Ministry has integrated   the   passport   issuance   systems   in   42   Indian   Missions/Posts   abroad   in Australia, Bahrain, Canada, China, France, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand,   Uganda,   United   Arab   Emirates,   United   Kingdom,   and   the   United   States   of America into the Passport Seva Project. This will facilitate holders of Indian passports to apply for a fresh passport or renew their existing passport from an Indian Mission or Post abroad.

As per statutory provisions, on the receipt of an application, the Passport Issuing Authority (PIA), after making such inquiry as it may consider necessary, shall issue the passport or travel documents. Fresh passports on 'T atkaal' basis and those which are to be reissued by the Passport Issuing Authorities in the Embassies and Consulates abroad are to be issued within 7 working days in all such cases where no police verification is required.

(d) In order to streamline, liberalize and ease the process of issue of passport, the Ministry of External Affairs has announced a number of steps in the realm of passport policy which is expected to benefit the citizens of India applying for a passport.The details of these steps can be seen at Annexure-I.

(e) & (f) Yes, the Ministry has plans to issue chip enabled e-passports to citizens with advanced security features and better printing and paper quality. The Government has given its approval for procurement of electronic contactless inlays for manufacturing of e-

passports to India Security Press (ISP), Nashik. In this regard, ISP, Nashik, has been authorized to float a Global three-stage tender for procurement of International Civil Aviation   Organisation   (ICAO)-compliant   electronic   contactless   inlays   along   with   its operating system which is required for manufacture of e-passports. Manufacture of epassport   with   advanced   security   features   and   better   printing   and   paper   quality   will commence on the successful completion of the tendering and procurement process by ISP, Nashik.

The personal particulars of the applicants would be digitally signed and stored in the chip. In case, anyone tampers with the chip, the system shall be able to identify it resulting in the failure of the passport authentication. Access of information is protected in a way that the chip cannot be read without physical possession of the passport.

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## A.

## SIMPLIFICATION OF PASSPORT RULES

In order to streamline, liberalize and ease the process of issue of passport, the Ministry of External Affairs has taken a number of steps in the realm of passport policy to ease the process of issue of passports. The details of these steps are given below:-

## DOCUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF PROOF OF DATE OF BIRTH

As per the extant statutory provisions of the Passport Rules, 1980, all the applicants born on or after 26/01/1989, in order to get a passport, had to, hitherto, 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 (BC) issued by the Registrar of Births & Deaths or the Municipal   Corporation   or   any   other   prescribed   authority   whosoever   has   been empowered under the Registration of Birth & Deaths Act,1969 to register the birth of a child born in India;

Transfer/School   leaving/Matriculation Certificate issued by the school   last attended/recognized educational board containing the DOB of the applicant;

PAN Card issued by the Income Tax Department with the DOB of applicant;

Aadhaar Card/E-Aadhaar having the DOB of applicant;

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), duly attested/certified by the officer/in-charge of the Administration of the concerned Ministry/Department of the applicant, having his DOB;

Driving license issued by the Transport Department of concerned State Government, having the DOB of applicant;

Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission of India having the DOB of applicant;

Policy Bond issued by the Public Life Insurance Corporations/Companies having the DOB of the holder of the insurance policy.

## A. Other Changes  :

- (i) 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.

The total number of Annexes prescribed in the Passport Rule, 1980, has been reduced to 9 from the past 15.

All the annexes that are required to be given by the applicants would be in the form of a self   declaration   on   a   plain   paper.   Attestation/swearing   by/   before   any   Notary/ Executive Magistrate/ First Class Judicial Magistrate would be henceforth not required.

Married applicants would not be required to provide the erstwhile Annexure K or any marriage certificate.

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.

In case of children not born out of wedlock, the applicant for the passport of such children   should   submit   only   extant   Annexure   C   while   submitting   the   passport application.

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.

Government servants, who are not able to obtain the Identity Certificate (extant Annexure-A)/No-Objection   Certificate   (extant   Annexure-G)   from   their   concerned employer and intend to get the passport on urgent basis can now get the passport by submitting   a   self-declaration   in   extant   Annexure-'H'   that   he/she   has   given   prior Intimation   Letter   to   his/her   employer   informing   that   he/she   was   applying   for   an ordinary passport to a Passport Issuing Authority.

Sadhus/Sanyasis can apply for a passport with the name of their spiritual Guru mentioned in the passport application in lieu of their biological parent(s) name(s) subject to their providing of at least one public document such as Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission of India, PAN card, Aadhaar Card, etc wherein the name of the Guru has been recorded against the column(s) for parent(s)name(s).

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.

An applicant for a passport has to submit any one of the documents as mentioned in (A) above as proof of Date of Birth (DOB) while submitting the passport application. The DOB mentioned in the document would be recorded in the passport. In case there is a discrepancy between the DOB previously recorded in the passport and the new proof of DOB submitted by the applicant, the Passport Issuing Authorities (PIA) have been authorized to consider the explanation of each applicant seeking change in the DOB (irrespective of the period that would have lapsed after the issue of the passport) to find the genuineness of the claim and if the PIA is satisfied with the claim and with the document(s) submitted by the applicant in support of the claim, the PIA shall accept all such requests made by the applicant to issue the passport with revised DOB.

Passports can be now obtained under the 'Tatkaal' Scheme without providing the Verification   Certificate   from   a   Gazetted   Officer,   which   was   required   earlier.   The documents to be submitted for getting a passport under this scheme have been notified vide G.S.R. 39 (E) dated 18 January, 2018 and O.M. No. VI/401/1/4/2013 dated 23 March 2018 read with O.M. of even number dated 17 April 2018. Applicants may submit any three of the following documents for obtaining passport:

- (a) Aadhaar card/e-Aadhaar containing the 12 - digit Aadhaar number/28 - digit Aadhaar Enrolment ID printed on the Aadhaar Enrolment Slip issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
- (b) Electors Photo Identify Card (EPIC)
- (c) Service Photo Identity Card issued by State/Central Government, Public Sector Undertakings, local bodies or Public Limited Companies
- (d) Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Order Backward Class Certificate
- (e) Arms License
- (f) Pension Document such as Ex-servicemen's Pension Book/Pension Payment order, ex-servicemen's widow or dependent Certificate, Old Age pension Order

- (g) Self-Passport (unrevoked and undamaged)
- (h) Permanent Account Number (PAN) Card
- (i) Bank/Kisan/Post Office Passbook;
- (j) Student Photo ldentity Card issued by an Educational lnstitution;
- (k) Driving License (valid and within the jurisdiction of State of submission of applicant)
- (l) Birth Certificate issued under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act; and
- (m) Ration Card

Now Passports can also be obtained under the Normal scheme on out-of-turn postPolice   Verification   basis   without   paying   any   additional   fees   on   the   submission   of minimum three documents mentioned in para - xii.

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