The Ministry of External Affairs
declared new rules for applying for a passport that are both refreshing and
far-reaching. And among the major changes are that children of single parents
need not get offended – the name of one parent will suffice.
We have moved to the era of
self-declarations for all declarations and one need not have to hunt for a
notary to attest documents.
The need for a marriage certificate
have been done away with.
North Bangalorepost has compiled the
list of changes that have come into effect as per several media reports and the
MEA website.
Documentation for
Proof of Birth:
Earlier, an applicant’s birth
certificate was compulsory especially for all applicants born on or after 26th
January 1989. The new rules have allowed any of the following documents
containing the Date of Birth (DOB) for proof of birth:
- Birth Certificate issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths or the local Municipal Corporation or any other approved authority that registers a child’s birth.
- Transfer/School leaving/Matriculation Certificate issued by the school last attended/recognized Educational board.
- PAN card
- Aadhar card/E-Aadhar
- Copy of the service record if the applicant is a government employee or the pay pension order in case of retired government employees), duly attested by the concerned ministry/certified by the officer/ department of the applicant.
- Driving license.
- Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission of India.
- A copy of policy bond issued by the public life insurance companies.
Details of
Parent/Legal guardian:
The new rule has done away with the
mandate requiring names of both parents at the time of application. The applicant
now only needs to provide the name of either one of the parents or the legal
guardian. This makes it easier for children with single parents/orphans to
apply for a passport.
Strangely, for Sadhus/Sanyasis, there
is a provision made for them to mention the name of their spiritual leader in
place of their biological parents.
Annexures reduced:
Now, the total number of annexes has
been reduced from 15 to 9. While many have been eliminated, some have been
merged. This means, lesser number of documents.
Attestation:
While all annexures needed
attestation from a Notary/Executive Magistrate/First Class Judicial Magistrate,
henceforth all these can be self-declared by the applicant on plain paper.
Married and
Divorced persons:
The need for a marriage certificate
has been discontinued. Also, in case of a divorced applicant, the name of the
spouse will not have to be included.
There are some more rules that have
been relaxed in cases of specific groups such as government employees. Further information
can be had from the ministry website www.mea.gov.in
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