Indian passport

Indian Passport
भारतीय पासपोर्ट

The front cover of a contemporary Indian passport.
Date first issued 1920 (first version)
1986 (current version)
c. 2016 (biometric version)
Issued by  India
Type of document Passport
Purpose Identification
Eligibility requirements Indian citizenship
Expiration 10 years after acquisition for those aged 18 or more; otherwise 5 years
Cost Note: If the application for a new passport is made under the Tatkaal (expedited processing) scheme, the Tatkaal fee is to be paid in addition to the regular application fee. [4]
All costs are in INR (₹).

An Indian passport is a passport issued by the Government of India to citizens of the Republic of India for travelling abroad. It enables the bearer to travel internationally and serves as proof of Indian citizenship as per the Passports Act (1967).

The Consular Passport & Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, functioning as the central passport organisation, is responsible for issuing Indian passports on demand to all eligible Indian citizens. Passports are issued at 37 locations across India and at 162 Indian diplomatic missions (High Commissions, embassies and consulates) abroad. [5]

In 2014, India issued more than 10 million passports, a number exceeded only by China and the US. [6]

Types of passports

An Indian Diplomatic Passport and an Official Passport. These passports serve supplementary functions to an ordinary Indian passport. Each passport type has a different colour.

In addition, selected passport offices in India as well as overseas missions are authorised to issue regular Indo-Bangladesh passports and Indo-Sri Lankan passports to Indian nationals resident in West Bengal, the North-Eastern States, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. These two passports respectively permit travel to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka only and are not valid for travel to other foreign countries.

Physical appearance

Contemporary ordinary Indian passports have a dark blue or deep bluish-black cover with golden coloured printing. The Emblem of India is emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The words 'पासपोर्ट' (Hindi) and 'Passport' (English) are inscribed above the Emblem whereas 'भारत गणराज्य' (Hindi) and 'Republic of India' (English) are inscribed below the emblem. The standard passport contains 36 pages, but frequent travellers can opt for a passport containing 60 pages.

Passport holder identity

Passport note

The passports contain a note from the President of India addressing the authorities of all territories:

“ These are to request and require in the Name of the President of the Republic of India all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford him or her, every assistance and protection of which he or she may stand in need.
By order of the President of the Republic of India
 ”
“ इसके द्वारा, भारत गणराज्य के राष्ट्रपति के नाम पर, उन सब से जिनका इस बात से सरोकार हो, यह प्रार्थना एवं अपेक्षा की जाती है कि वे वाहक को बिना रोक-टोक, आज़ादी से आने-जाने दें, और उसे हर तरह की ऐसी सहायता और सुरक्षा प्रदान करें जिसकी उसे आवश्यकता हो ।
भारत गणराज्य के राष्ट्रपति के आदेश से दिया गया
 ”

The note bearing page is typically stamped and signed by the issuing authority in the name of the President of Republic of India.

Features

Since 25 November 2015, Indian passports that are handwritten or with an original date of expiry extending to 20 years have not been valid under ICAO rules.[7]

With more recent Indian passports the personal particulars of the passport holder, that were hitherto printed on the inner cover page, are printed on the second page of the document.

Another added security feature in the newer non-handwritten passports is a ghost picture of the holder found on the right side of the second page.

Apart from stymieing criminals from printing fake passports, recent changes also help prevent smudging of the document because of inkjet printers.[8][9]

Emigration check

Holders of ECR passports need a clearance called an Emigration Check from the Government of India's Protector of Emigrants when going to selected countries on a work visa. This is to prevent the exploitation of Indian workers (especially the unskilled and less-educated) when going abroad, particularly to Middle Eastern countries. ECR passport holders travelling on a tourist visa do not need a clearance; this is known as an Emigration Check Suspension.

ECNR status passports are granted to:

In accordance with a ruling by the Ministry of External Affairs, passports issued from 2007 onwards do not have the ECNR stamp affixed; instead, a blank page 2 of the passport is deemed to have been ECNR endorsed. As a result, only ECR stamps are now affixed to Indian passports. For passports issued before January 2007, no notation in the passport means ECR. For passports issued in or after January 2007, no notation in the passport means ECNR. If Emigration Check is Required, there will be an endorsement in the passport regarding ECR.

Languages

The textual portions of Indian passport are printed in both Hindi and English, the two main official languages of India.

Visa requirements

Visa requirements for Indian citizens
  India
  Visa free
  Visa issued upon arrival
  Electronic authorisation or eVisa
  Visa required prior to arrival

Visa requirements for Indian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of India. According to the 2014 Visa Restrictions Index, holders of an Indian passport can visit 52 countries and territories visa-free or with visa on arrival, and India is currently ranked 59th in terms of travel freedom.

Fees

The price of a standard passport in India:[10]

Indian passports can also be issued outside India, for which fees varies by country.

New passport issuance system

In September 2007, the Indian Union cabinet approved a new passport issuance system under the Passport Seva Project. As per the project, front-end activities of passport issuance, dispatch of passports, online linking with police, and Central Printing Unit for centralised printing of passports will be put in place. The new system is trying to be 'timely, transparent, more accessible and reliable manner' for passport issuance. The applicant has to apply for fresh/reissue of passport through the Passport Seva system at one of the 77 Passport Seva Kendras operating throughout the country.

Biometric passport

India has recently initiated the first phase of biometric e-passport for Diplomatic passport holders in India and abroad. The new passports have been designed locally by the Central Passport Organisation, the India Security Press and IIT Kanpur. It contains a security chip with all personal data and digital images. In the first phase new passports will have a 64KB chip carrying a photograph of the passport holder and in subsequent phases it will have a fingerprint. The new passport has already been tested with passport readers in the United States and has 4-second response time, while the US Passport has 10-second response time. It need not be carried in a metal jacket for security reasons. It will first need to be skimmed through a reader, after which it would generate an access code which then unlocks the chip for reader access.[11]

In India the e-passport is under its first phase of deployment and is restricted to Diplomatic passport holders. On 25 June 2008 the Indian Passport Authority issued the e-passport to the then President of India, Pratibha Patil.[12][13] The necessary procurements have been initiated by India Security Press, Nasik, and the actual transition to the new age passport is expected to begin in the year 2016.[14]

Gallery of historic images

See also

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Passports of India.

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