Nowadays tourism is increasing continuously in all the countries of the world. More than 50 countries have also started giving visa on arrival to Indian citizens. Despite this, having a passport for foreign travel remains a basic requirement.
Passport is one of the most important identity documents in India. Any person can keep it with him. The Ministry of External Affairs has also claimed to make the process of making a passport very easy. Let us know how a common man can apply for a passport with facilities and what documents are required for this.
Complete process of applying for passport
One can apply for passport both offline and online. However, these days online application is more popular. For offline application, one has to go to the regional passport office, fill the manual application form, get it checked and submit it at the counter along with the required documents and prescribed fee. After this, one has to wait for the next process with the receipt (acknowledgement) received there.
All the information about the steps to be followed while applying for a passport online is given on the Passport India website of the Government of India. According to this, these steps should be followed one by one.
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1. Register through Passport Seva Online Portal.
2. Now login to Passport Seva Online Portal with Login ID.
3. Apply for Background Verification for GEP.
4. Fill in the required details in the form and submit.
5. View Saved/Submitted Applications to schedule an appointment. Then click on Pay and Schedule Appointment link on the screen.
For this, online payment has been made mandatory for booking appointments at all PSKs/POPSKs/POs. Online payment can be made using any of the following modes:
Credit/Debit Cards (Mastercard and Visa)
Internet Banking (State Bank of India (SBI) and other banks)
UPI Payments
6. Click on the “Print Application Receipt” link to print the application receipt containing the Application Reference Number (ARN)/Appointment Number. Note here that carrying a printout of the application receipt is no longer necessary. An SMS containing your appointment details during your visit to the passport office is also accepted as proof of appointment.
7. As per the appointment booking, visit the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK)/Regional Passport Office (RPO) with all original documents.
Documents required for passport application
The Government of India has prepared several guidelines for issuing new or renewed passports to people. The list of common documents required for passport application for identity, address, birth and education etc. is as follows-
- Voter ID Card
- Aadhar Card/e-Aadhar
- PAN Card
- Driving License
- Birth Certificate
- 10th class mark sheet
- Bank passbook Photo
- School Leaving Certificate
- Ration Card
- Government Identification Card
- Photo Credit Card
- Government Service Identification Card
- Pension Documents
- A bank statement with attested photograph of the applicant
- Rent Agreement
- Income Tax Assessment Order
- Birth Certificate issued by Municipal Authority or Registrar of Births and Deaths
- School Leaving Certificate
- Date of Birth Certificate issued by Gazetted Officer
- Declaration given by the head of the orphanage/child care home
- Three recent colour photographs of size 2 inch x 2 inch with plain white background. The applicant should not be wearing spectacles.
