General information on Passport, Visa and other Consular services
  1. Your passport is a valuable document. It should always be either in your own custody or in the custody of a person duly authorized by you. If lost or destroyed, the fact and circumstances should be immediately reported to the nearest Indian Mission and to the local police.
    PLEASE KEEP A PHOTOCOPY OF YOUR PASSPORT IN A SAFE PLACE. WITHOUT THESE DETAILS ISSUANCE OF A DUPLICATE PASSPORT MAY BE DELAYED.
  2. It is an offense under the Passports Act 1967 to give false information in the Application. Passport facilities can be denied on grounds of suppression of factual information, submission of false particulars, willful damage of passport and for making unauthorized changes in the passports.
  3. Your passport can be impounded or revoked by the Government of India under the provisions of the Passports Act 1967 in which event you will have to surrender the passport to the nearest Indian Passport authority.
  4. TIMING Applications for all passports/consular services (Like issue of new/duplicate passports, renewals and miscellaneous services on passports, legalization/attestation of documents) are accepted between 09:30 AM and 12:30 PM. No application is received after 12:30 PM except in the cases of emergencies, such as death or illness in the family. The passports and other documents, irrespective of date or time of submission, are delivered only between 04:30 PM to 05:30 PM on working days. This time schedule does not apply to services where prior approval is required from the authorities in India.
  5. MAILING SERVICE: Outstation applicants may send their application for passport/consular service by certified/registered mail. However, applications for duplicate passport in lieu of lost/damaged passport are accepted only in person. Such passports are not dispatched by mail.
  6. Fee should be paid by Money Order/ Cashier checks made in favor of the Embassy of India/Consulate General of India. Cash is accepted only at the counter. Personal checks are not accepted.
  7. Applications in most cases sent in by mail, normally take about one week for processing. This is in addition to the time taken in mail (one to two weeks). This time schedule does not apply to issue or renewal of passports and some other services for which REFERENCE HAS TO BE MADE TO COMPETENT AUTHORITIES IN INDIA. Please refrain from making telephonic or written enquiry's in such cases about the status of your application, as it takes about 45 days to complete enquiry's.
  8. The Embassy/Consulate will get in touch with applicants in cases where the applications are incomplete/incorrect, the fees sent are not adequate or not paid in the acceptable manner or where there are other deficiencies.
  9. For return of passport by mail, please send a self-addressed and adequately stamped envelope along with your application. For dispatch of passports by express mail, please send an additional amount of $15 to cover the mailing expenses. THE EMBASSY/ CONSULATE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DOCUMENTS LOST IN MAIL. PASSPORT SHOULD NOT BE SENT OUT OF ANY COUNTRY BY POST.
  10. Please tender the exact amount in the form of Money order/Bank Draft/Certified Check in the name of Embassy of India/Consulate General of India or by cash at the counter.  Please insist on a receipt for any money paid at the counter and present the same for collection of passports/documents between 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM.
  11. ISSUE OF NEW PASSPORT: An application for a new passport can be made within one year of expiry of the old passport for this "Application Form for an Indian Passport" along with your passport, three photographs and affidavit should be submitted. If the application is found to be in order and if no prior reference is required to be made to the original Passport Issuing Authority, the passport will be issued in the normal course.
  12. EXTENSION OF SHORT VALIDITY PASSPORT: The validity of this passport can be extended up to 10 years from the date of issue. For this "Application Forms for Extension of Validity", along with two photographs should be submitted.
  13. New Instruction: Every child should have a separate passport.
  14. CHANGE OF NAME: For change of name or surname, consequent to marriage/divorce, please submit original marriage certificate, along with photocopy and husband's passport are also required.
  15. In all other cases of change of name/surname, in the passport, the change has first to be advertised in a daily newspaper, both in U.S.A. and India (circulation in the area of your permanent and present residence). Original newspaper clippings are required to be submitted. An affidavit, duly notarized, is also required. Request for change of name for any other purpose is not normally entertained. Service is provided after a waiting period of 30 days from the date of publication of advertisement in the newspaper.
    APPLICATIONS FOR CHANGE IN DATE OF BIRTH NOT ENTERTAINED UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY A COURT ORDER ISSUED BY A JUDICIAL OFFICER NOT BELOW THE RANK OF FIRST CLASS MAGISTRATE IN INDIA.

    DUPLICATE PASSPORTS (IN LIEU OF LOST/DAMAGED PASSPORTS): Please submit your application with the following documents:
  16. (1) police report about loss of passport 
    (2) Twelve photographs 
    (3) Seven copies of the prescribed proforma to be obtained from the Embassy/Consulate 
    (4) A FEE of $200.00 (plus $24 if the passport had already expired) (5) Letter from school/college if you are a student 
    (6) Photocopy of previous (Lost) passport 
    (7) School/ Birth Certificate 
    (8) Driver License, Employer's letter (as applicable) 
    (9) Photocopy of Green Card/Employment authorization card (as applicable) 
    (10) Copy of house lease deed/ bank certificate/insurance policy - as proof of stay in USA from the date indicated in your application.
         (11) Notarized Statement
  17. It normally takes three to six months in completing this process and duplicate passports can be issued only on receipt of clearances from the concerned authorities in India. Applicants are, therefore, requested to refrain from making written/email/telephone inquiries during this period. Applications for duplicate passport are not accepted by post and such passports are not dispatched by post. Applicant has to come in person for filing application for a duplicate passport.
  18. It is important to furnish full, accurate and truthful information in the form. Misrepresentation of facts may entail denial of passport facilities. Applications received with incomplete details will remain unprocessed. A duplicate passport may not be issued for the second loss/damage of passport. Habitual losers of passports will be denied further passport facilities.
  19. Emergency Certificate: An Emergency Certificate (one-way travel document) which authorizes an Indian to enter India, is issued to the citizen of India whose passports have been lost, stolen or damaged and to whom new passports cannot be issued without approval from India. This is primarily with the objective of ensuring their return to India.
  20. EMERGENCY SERVICES: An additional amount of $ 90 (in case of new passport) and $30 (in other cases) is charged for rendering emergency service. This service is available only in cases of genuine emergency such as death or serious illness in the family and cases not falling under prior approval categories form India. Applications for emergency services can be submitted from 09:30 AM to 05:00 PM on all working days. Such service is also provided on weekends and holidays between 11:00 AM and 02:00 PM.
  21. INCOMPLETE / FALSE INFORMATION: Application forms should be filled in fully, legibly (in capital letters) and accurately and submitted with the passport. Misrepresentation of the facts may result in denial of passport/consular service. Applications received with incomplete details will remain unprocessed.
  22. NO REFUNDS: Fees, once received, cannot be refunded, even if the application is withdrawn or service cannot be rendered.
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