FAQ's

A Passport is an official travel document issued by Ministry of External Affairs to Indian Citizens, primarily for the purpose of international travel. It also acts as a Government approved identity document.

F.A.Q

Frequently Asked Questions

A Passport is an official travel document issued by Ministry of External Affairs to Indian Citizens, primarily for the purpose of international travel. It also acts as a Government approved identity document.

An individual can apply for passport by registering on the Passport Seva website of Ministry of External Affairs. Once registered on the website, an online form is required to be filled by the individual and appointment is to be scheduled post making the online payment. Post this, the applicant has to visit the respective Passport office for submitting the application and biometrics.

There are two main types of passports that are issued

  • Ordinary passport: Ordinary passports are issued to individuals who are citizens of India. These passports are for general purpose which enables the holders to travel to foreign countries on business or holidays.
  • Official/Diplomatic passport: Official or Diplomatic passports are issued to people travelling to foreign countries in their official capacity.

If the traveller requires a passport to be issued urgent basis, Ministry of External Affair has made arrangement for expedite process under “Tatkaal Scheme” The processing time under this scheme is lower compared to normal passport.

A passport in India is valid for a period of only 10 years. To continue availing the benefits of the passport, the individual needs to renew the passport before the expiry of 10 years or after the validity expires.

The police verification stage is an important security measure with regard to the issuance of passports in India to crosscheck the antecedents of an individual.

Reasons for Passport rejection

As per historical data, quite a few passport in India get rejected and some of the reasons are

  • Mistake on application form while filling online
  • Incorrect information
  • Incorrect and unclear documents
  • Fees not paid
  • Police verification failure
  • Criminal history
  • Security reasons

Below mode of online payment is available

  • Debit / Credit Card
  • SBI Bank challan
  • Internet Banking

The fees paid are valid for one year from the appointment date.