New Guidelines For Indian Passport Holders

One of the most significant documents that each Indian citizen must procure is a passport. This document serves not only as a proof of address and identity but also allows the passport holders to travel around the world under the protection of the Government of India. Indian citizens can apply for a passport both online or offline. 

In order to obtain a passport, applicants must fill up the required forms, submit it along with all necessary identity and address proof, pay the processing fee and then select a date for the appointment. On the scheduled date, the applicants must visit the Passport Seva Kendra at the given time slot, wherein all the required documents are verified. A few necessary procedures and verification is done by the authorities to decide whether the applicant can be given a passport. If approved, the applicants receive their passport by post. 

These are some of the crucial guidelines that all applicants should keep in mind while applying for an Indian passport. 

• The Indian passport is a highly significant and important document. It should remain in the holder's personal custody at all times. If it is not in personal custody, then only authorized persons can keep it in their custody. 

• Indian passport cannot be sent out of India by post. 

• The passport is the only document that certifies the holder as an Indian citizen in a foreign nation. 

• The passport is an essential travel document, apart from being a proof of identification. Nobody can enter or leave India without their updated and valid passport. 

• All Indians must ensure that their passports are always updated and valid. A passport can be re-issued within a year before its expiry. 

• If passport holders lose their passport, misplace it or if the passport is damaged or stolen, a report must be mandatorily and immediately filed at the nearest police station as well as with an authority responsible for issuing passport or the closest Indian mission if abroad. 

• Besides maintaining the original passport very carefully, passport holders ensure that they maintain a scanned copy and a photocopy of their passport as well for added security in case the document is stolen or misplaced. 

• All passport applicants should know that they can be refused passport-related facilities on a few grounds like-

  1. Suppressing facts and information
  2. Providing false information
  3. Wilfully damaging the passport
  4. Changing particulars in the passport without authorization
  5. Tampering with the information provided in the passport without authorization 

• If an individual acquires the citizenship of a different country, they will not be considered a citizen of India anymore. They must immediately apply for the cancellation of their Indian passport and then keep the canceled passport carefully in case it is needed in the future. 

• Provisions of the Indian passports Act of 1967 can be violated by committing the following activities:

  1. Traveling without a valid passport
  2. Providing false information on the passport application form
  3. Attempting to change entries or particulars mentioned on the passport
  4. Refusing to provide the passport for inspection
  5. Using someone else's travel document or passport
  6. Allowing someone else to use their passport or travel document
  7. Holding more than one valid passport

• Any of these actions can result in the person getting heavily fined or even imprisoned for a period of 2 years or both. Additionally, the person's passport may also be revoked by the Indian authority. 

• If an applicant is not an Indian citizen yet applies for an Indian passport by withholding the information pertaining to their nationality, or if anyone possesses a forged passport, they can be heavily fined or imprisoned for a period of 5 years or both. Consular services are not provided to refugees or people who have left India illegally. 

• All of these guidelines must be kept in mind by not only those people who wish to apply for an Indian passport but also by people who already have an Indian passport.