Been through the experience of applying for passport
of my daughter last year. Thought of sharing the list of documents
required, form filling and general information etc.
- Documents required
- Birth Certificate
- Electricity bill [current and one year old]
- As a proof that you are staying at mentioned address since last one year
- Passport [Father and Mother]
- It is always best to submit passports of both father and mother as police verification is not required in that case [as posted on their passport website: (3)(d) - http://passport.gov.in/cpv/checklist.htm]
- Photocopy of first and last page of passport
- Bank statements [Father and Mother] with latest transactions
- Photocopy of passbook's first page too is needed for name, a/c no and address
- Marriage certificate
- If it is in local language, an affidavit is required. Check details on passport site
- ANNEXURE 'H' [PFA] or http://passport.gov.in/cpv/ANNEXUREH_minor.htm
- Passport size photographs of minor
- Both ears should be CLEARLY visible
- Photograph needs to have dark background [as told by man in photo studio]
- So, kid may need to wear bit light coloured dress
- Three photographs are required while applying. But make sure to have more say 10, in case police verification is required
Note
- PAN card is not required, as passport is taken as photo id proof. If you don't have passport then PAN card can be taken
- Print two photocopies of each of the above documents [except Marriage certificate] and prepare two sets
- Self attest all photocopies. It is best to have signatures of both parents on all photocopies
- Carry originals of whatever documents you are planning to attach to the application. We need to produce them at the counter
- Use band pins [or U pins] rather than stapling the documents as the man at counter dismantles everything
In all you will have three sets
- Main application form and annexture H, in set one
- Two sets of photocopies. It would be good to have order of photocopies in both sets, same. It becomes easier for the man at counter to verify
- Form filling
- You will first need to fill up online form and register on the passport website and an appointment date would be given
- http://passport.gov.in/ and click "Online Registration"
- Save the pdf and print it after filling up the form
- You still need to fill up lot of fields by hand in the form after printing it
- Please write ----N/A---- wherever applicable. DO NOT leave any field blank. Otherwise, man scrutinizing the forms at the gate does not allow to enter
- On the first page, take thumb impression horizontally in the bracket provided [right thumb for female and left for male]. DO NOT sign/take thumb impression on the photo on first page
- There are three more thumb impressions to be taken [one at the end of main application form, two on police verification forms]
- On the two police verification forms you have to take thumb impressions across the photographs. Make sure that impression DOES NOT cover the face. Otherwise form gets rejected
- Parents need to sign on main application form [page 3] and on police verification forms [Near thumb impression] [page 5 and 6]
- Please do not sign on the first page of main application form and on the photos on police verification forms
- ECNR [Emigration Check Not Required]
- This is important. Generally you do not want to have ECR [Emigration Check Required] stamp on the passport. If you are eligible for ECNR, no stamp is stamped on the passport. We need to provide some documents if we want to have ECNR status. Please go through section 3 of passport information booklet available on passport site - http://passport.gov.in/cpv/column_guidelines.htm
- Write ECNR status as Yes in the form if you do not wish to have ECR stamped on passport
- Write the eligible category and name of document you are attaching to have ECNR status
- In case of minors, category should be (I)(m) and document could be birth certificate
- Write the list of documents attached, in column no 20 of main application form
You will be given appointment of 10 AM. Generally people
start gathering there early in the morning since 8:30 AM [or even before that] and you have to
stand in the loooong queue for hours, till your turn comes. I reached
there at 12.15PM and line was empty! I could directly enter the office after
showing the form to the man at gate, he written the counter number [4 in case
of minor] and let me in. This took 5 minutes. This is based on my experience in Pune city.
You need not take minor along with you. It is NOT
required.
As far as passport agents are concerned, see if you can
avoid going by that route. Take some efforts to know what all documents are required [and this post will help in doing just that]. And in the end, applicant has to stand in the queue. Agent does not help there.
They also offer an option [with much higher fees] in which case you need not stand
in the queue and just hand over the application along with documents and
they will "take care" of "the
rest". "The rest" is nothing but using the money to bypass queue. You know what I mean :)
Further update:
Received the passport on 5th Dec 2012.
Had to go through police verification.
- At the police station, you have to again fill their own form and submit it
- They tell us when to come for verification
- Verification is nothing but you take the submitted form again, stand in a queue outside main police officer's office, who may ask you some questions and signs the form if he/she is satisfied with the answers
- You again take that form and go to the place from where you have taken the form and give it back
I denied and said "माफ करा" [Forgive me]. I
was under impression that he would block the form from sending it to passport office. But
that did not happen.
Anti corruption must start from home ;)
