Indian passport rules are set to change this year! Here are the revised guidelines

The Indian government has introduced significant revisions to passport regulations, set to come into effect in 2025. Under the updated rules, individuals born on or after October 1 2023, must present a birth certificate as the sole proof of their date of birth when applying for an Indian passport. This change is part of the newly amended Passport Rules of 1980, as per an official notification issued recently. The revised regulations will be enforced once they are published in the official Gazette.

 
The birth certificate must be issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths, the Municipal Corporation or any other authority designated under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. However, applicants born before 1 October 2023 will not be subject to this new requirement. They may continue to provide alternative documents to verify their date of birth, in line with existing guidelines.

For individuals born before the specified date, acceptable documents include a Transfer, School Leaving or Matriculation Certificate issued by the last attended school or recognised educational board, a Policy Bond issued by public life insurance corporations or companies that include the date of birth of the policyholder, an extract of the service record for government employees or the Pay Pension Order for retired government servants duly attested by the relevant administrative authority, an Aadhaar Card or E-Aadhaar, an Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission of India, a PAN Card issued by the Income Tax Department, a driving licence issued by the Transport Department of the concerned state government or an official declaration from the head of an orphanage or child care home, provided on the organisation’s letterhead, confirming the date of birth of the applicant.

It is important to note that Aadhaar Card, E-Aadhaar, EPIC, PAN Card, driving licence and Pay Pension Order will only be accepted as proof of date of birth if they explicitly mention the applicant’s full date of birth.

In addition to proof of date of birth, passport applicants must submit one of the following documents as proof of address: a water bill, telephone (landline or post-paid mobile) bill, electricity bill, Income Tax Assessment Order, Election Commission Photo Identity Card, proof of gas connection, a certificate from an employer of a reputed company issued on official letterhead, a copy of the spouse’s passport (first and last page), provided the applicant’s current address matches the address mentioned in the spouse’s passport, a parent’s passport copy (first and last page) in the case of minors, an Aadhaar Card, a rent agreement or a photo passbook of a running bank account from scheduled public sector banks, scheduled private sector Indian banks, or regional rural banks.

According to the Passport Seva Online Portal, furnishing a UID or Aadhaar Card will speed up the passport application process. Additionally, an Aadhaar letter, Aadhaar card or e-Aadhaar will be accepted as both Proof of Address (POA) and Proof of Photo Identity (POI) for passport-related services.