The Hindu Business Line : New passport application forms in use from today

The first form which costs Rs 10 is for the issue of a new passport or for reissue of lost or damaged passports. The other form will be available at a cost of Rs 5 for miscellaneous services.

The new passport application form is shorter compared to the present one.

Applicants need to fill up 22 columns in the first application as against the 45 columns in the old format.

There will also be no index card in the new application form.

The new passport application forms are machine-readable and can be scanned.

The number of photographs required has been reduced to four in the case of application for issue of fresh passports as against seven in the old format and 10 in the application for issue of duplicate passport.

Thumb impression on applications has been made mandatory and will be used for authentication by immigration authorities at the airports in India.

The applicant can now take a photocopy of the application form after filling in and then affixing his or her photograph, signature, thumb impression in original in the appropriate space provided in the passport application. This would avoid the refilling of personal particulars by the applicant, Mr Mathi Vathanan said.

In the new application forms, provision has been made for mobile phone numbers and email address.

The issue of replacement passports because of change in name, change in sex, change of photograph, change in date and place of birth, change in signature or faded passport have been classified as miscellaneous services and the application for all such services are made in Form 2.

The applicant has to fill up 12 columns with a single photograph. In all these cases, the press release said the passports would be dispatched to the applicants on the third working day from the date of submission.

For married women applying for passport for the first time in their married name, the marriage certificate or affidavit in the prescribed format is required.

The Ministry has also relaxed the requirement of Income Tax Returns for three years for the ECNR (emigration clearance not required) endorsement on the passport.

Applicants can now get the ECNR on the submission of the copy of the PAN or the acknowledgement of any one I-T Return filed during the last 3 years.