passport patrika | september 2010
DESCRIPTION
A bulletin of Passport services in IndiaTRANSCRIPT
Sep 2010
HIGHLIGHTS:
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Passport Patrika
Chairman Shri. A.Manickam, JS (CPV) & CPO Editor In-chief Dr. T. V. Nagendra Prasad, Director (PV)
The Editorial Team
Curtain Raiser at
Bangalore held suc-
cessfully
Launch of the Pass-
port Seva Kendra at
Bangalore by Shri
S.M.Krishna
(External Affairs
Minister)
Advertisements for
external communica-
tion released in Kar-
nataka, Delhi & Pun-
jab
Bangalore PSKs open
to citizens from 21st
May 2010
Mangalore and Hubli
PSKs open to Citi-
zens from 24th
May 2010
More than 1,00,000
applications proc-
essed through Pass-
port Seva System till
date
Trial run of the
Chandigarh Passport
Seva Kendra from
August 2010
Passport Seva Kendra
Token numbers being displayed on the screen for
the citizens Citizens being attended at the PSK counters
Citizens waiting for their turn at the waiting area of the Passport Seva Kendra
Snapshots
2
Passport Seva Desk
Regards,
Passport Seva Team
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Dear Colleagues,
In the last edition, we had covered the curtain raiser event of the Passport Seva Project by Shri
S.M.Krishna, Hon’ble EAM. Since then we have come up a long way. Over 1,00,000 applications have
been processed on the new Passport Seva System in Bangalore and over 18, 000 applications at Chandi-
garh. The journey has not been without challenges. The Passport Seva Team moved ahead facing many
challenges on the technology and operations front with the help and cooperation of the staff of RPO Banga-
lore.
There was a situation of overcrowding at Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) Lalbagh. The centre has
been designed to handle capacity of 300 persons, but we started getting twice the number of applicants.
Also, citizens began crowding at the PSK right from the early morning as in the current system, instead of
their appointed time. MEA and the service provider collaborated to mitigate this problem. Additional staff
was rushed to the site and the service provider hired twice the size of the existing area to accommodate the
rush. With these measures, the contingency at PSK Lalbagh has been controlled.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs visited PSK Lalbagh and interacted
with the staff and the citizens. They were apprised of the problems and the progress achieved till date. They
were appreciative of the achievements and understanding of the fact that teething problems do occur in such
large projects. Staff at RPO Bangalore has been working simultaneously both on the old and the new sys-
tems, causing them a lot of strain as the RPO Bangalore is already understaffed to the extent of 20%. Based
on directions from JS(CPV), a massive pendency clearance drive was launched. Staff was sent on tempo-
rary duty from other POs to Bangalore. Over 30,000 applications pending in the old system have been
cleared. We are hopeful of clearing the entire backlog on the old system by the end of September 2010. We
are sincerely thankful to staff of other POs who came to Bangalore on short notice to help the Bangalore
RPO staff.
Storage of documents at Passport Offices has been a major area of concern. Most POs lack ade-
quate space and many POs operate from rented accommodation. There is also the problem of our staff not
being able to attend to the destruction of old files on a regular basis. In order to solve these setbacks, CPV
Division has initiated talks with the Stock Holding Corporation of India, a Government controlled body,
who have expertise in large scale storage and management of archival records. If this proposal comes
through, issues of storage crunch and destruction of documents on a regular basis at POs will be resolved.
Ministry has also taken up the process of convening the Departmental Promotional Committee in
order to expeditiously clear the promotions of our personnel at various grades. This is being carried out on a
priority as we understand that it would also benefit staff members who are on the verge of retirement.
Trials have already commenced in areas under the jurisdiction of PO Chandigarh. Regular feedback
on the system is being received from the staff based on which we are constantly tuning the system. We are
shortly going full live at Chandigarh. We have documented all the lessons learnt from the Go-Live exercise
at Bangalore and are determined to avoid any loopholes.
With your good wishes and cooperation, we expect the Go-Live in Chandigarh to go off smoothly.
3
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Contents
Project Updates…The story so far 04
Updates on the Project’s progress
Your Space 05
CPV employees contributions
Events 06
Inauguration of Karnataka PSK
External Communication Activities 08
Technology Trends 09
Bidding Farewell 11
Health Corner 13
Citizen Queries - FAQs 14
Fun Corner 16
4
MINISTRY OF
Major milestones achieved during the journey towards the deployment of the Passport Seva Project
Project Milestones
Project Updates...The Story so far
Milestones Achieved
Milestones - Work in Progress
Milestones to be Achieved
ACTIVITIES COVERED IN PILOT PHASE (Chronologically)
Requirement gathered & frozen
Basic Computer Skills Training
Data Centre for PSP
Pilot PSK sites finalization
Process & Soft skills training for Call centre employees at Hyderabad & Mohali
Process & Soft Skills training at CPPF
Application Training for Police
Data Migration
Application Testing
Pilot Locations Application Training
External Communication & Branding activities
5
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Project Updates
TRAINING
Software/Application Training delivered successfully to Chandigarh Passport Office employees
Software/Application Training delivered successfully to new recruits at PSK Bangalore and
Chandigarh
Hand holding of the Passport Office employees at Bangalore
Wave 1 trainings planned for Passport Office, PSK and Police Officials
COMMUNICATION
Print Advertorials launched at Karnataka, Delhi and Punjab to educate citizens about the new pass-
port issuance process and the Passport Seva Project and direct them to Passport Seva Kendra
GO-LIVE
Bangalore, Mangalore, Hubli PSKs operational successfully
Trial runs in progress at Chandigarh, Ambala and Ludhiana PSKs
31 PSKs to Go-live across Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Kerela and Tamil Nadu in Wave 1
Over 4000 private staff members to be recruited for the upcoming PSKs across India
Your Space - Your Contribu-
“It is indeed an appreciable decision of the Min-
istry to introduce Passport Patrika and circulate
it to the CPO family. It is my humble suggestion
to include an open page for the readers to share
their ideas to improve the functioning of the or-
ganization and also give a chance for seeking
clarifications and clearing doubts with regard
to passport rules so as to implement a uniform
procedure in all Offices equally relating to im-
plementation of rules.
May I suggest some modification in the present
on-line registration form meant for office space
(4th page), which I hope will be benefited for
office use. Presently
different office seals are required to be affixed
for the
purpose of process of passport application.
The attached format may please be seen and if
found fit, the same may be incorporated in the
on-line registration form. In order to boost the
Ban
6
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Inauguration of Karnataka PSK: EAM’s Speech on 28th May ‘10
Shri S.M.Krishna’s speech in the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri
B.S.Yeddyurappaji, Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council,
Mayor of Bengaluru, Employees of the Ministry of External Affairs, Passport Office and Passport Seva
Kendras, Tata Consultancy Services and Media.
“It gives me great pleasure to inaugurate the Passport Seva Kendras in Bengaluru, Mangalore and Hubli.
Today’s inauguration marks a red letter day in the quest of my Ministry to bring about quantum improve-
ment in the quality of Passport services to our citizens. This also marks the culmination of a long and ardu-
ous process of changing a 50-year old system in line with today’s needs. This change involved a study of
the existing processes, study of the procedures being followed in other countries, adapting these best prac-
tices to India. This was not an easy task. There were challenges and difficulties which needed to be sur-
mounted before the system could be opened to the public.
There were a few important factors that drove our team of dedicated colleagues in their mission to imple-
ment the Passport Seva Project. The process of economic liberalization and reforms envisioned by Shri Ra-
jiv Gandhiji pursued with dedication and redoubled vigour by the central government since the early 1990s,
brought about high growth rates and also integrated our country more closely into the rapidly globalising
world. The resultant opportunities and the growing proportion of the youth in our county pushed the de-
mand for passports to unprecedented levels. Between 1958 and 2006, the number of passport applicants
increased 133 times and between 2006 and 2010, the number of passport applicants almost doubled.
This increase in the workload meant that citizens faced delays and difficulties in obtaining passports despite
extensive simplification of the processes, opening of new passport offices, opening of new channels for
submission and some computerization. It became clear to the Ministry that mere growth in capacity would
not suffice to meet this challenge. Hence, the Ministry of External Affairs undertook the Passport Seva Pro-
ject with the aim to dramatically increase the productivity.
The Project involves:
Setting up of seventy seven state of the art Passport Seva Kendras across the country in the first phase
14x7 call centre operating in 18 languages
Biometric capturing of all applicants
Increased counters and public dealing hours
Connectivity of the system to the district police headquarters to ensure faster police verification
Status updates to the citizens through SMS and email
Uniform procedures and transparent and time bound completion of all processes
7
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Inauguration of Karnataka PSK: EAM’s Speech Continued
Live trials have revealed that these measures have indeed led to a quantum improvement in the speed of
processing of passport applications. The Passport Seva Project is a path breaker in more than one way. It
involves several innovations. It is the first National Level Project capturing biometrics, and has set up the
first Government Call centre run in 18 languages. Other hallmarks of the project include bringing together
the best of the government and the private sector for the benefit of the citizens in a security sensitive pro-
ject; performance linked incentives for Government staff; and retention of strategic control by the govern-
ment in an IT project.
The passport system is totally dependent on the State Police for the verification of the antecedents of the
applicants. While all Police Verification proformas of the applicants will flow to the district police head-
quarters electronically, the verification will still be done manually. Ministry has enhanced the amount pay-
able to the State Government from Rs 100/- to Rs 150/- per verification. I would like to request the State
Government, through the good offices of the Hon’ble Chief Minister and the senior police officials present,
to extend their fullest cooperation to the Passport Office to get all police verification done expeditiously for
the benefit of the residents of Karnataka State.
We have only taken the first step now and have a long way to go. The journey will involve learning through
the challenges that lie ahead. I am confident that with the unstinted cooperation of the staff, the able project
leadership team at the helm, and an experienced Service Provider, Tata Consultancy Services, we would be
able to quickly move to the next phase of the project.
Such a large project would not have been possible without the support of a multitude of agencies, each
playing its part. I would take this opportunity to thank the Department of Information Technology and the
bodies working under its supervision like NIC, STQC, CDAC, Tata Consultancy Services, NISG, the offi-
cials of the CPV Division of my Ministry, India Post, Karnataka Police, the Project Management Unit and
most importantly, all officers and staff of passport office Bengaluru.
I am pleased to inform this august gathering and the citizens through the media that next month we will
launch the project in Chandigarh. After these pilot locations go full steam and are certified by an independ-
ent authority, the project will be rolled out across the country. I solicit your cooperation in fulfilling our
commitment to bringing world class services to the citizens of this great country.
Thank You and Jai Hind ”
8
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
External Communication
Print Advertisement published in the leading
newspapers in Karnataka and Delhi to an-
nounce the launch of the Passport Seva Pro-
ject.
It educates the citizens about the process to
be followed for Application form submission
at DPC and also informs them about the Pass-
port Seva Kendra locations.
Informational Advert
released in Hindi for the
citizens of Punjab, Chandi-
garh & Haryana inform-
ing about the trial run at
Chandigarh RPO.
It generates awareness
about the Online appoint-
ment procedure and pro-
vides important details on
the website, Call Centre
and the new process to be
followed at PSK.
Advertisements published in leading Newspapers
9
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Technology Trends – Passport Seva System
Security deployment in Passport Seva Project would act as a
benchmark for many Mission Mode Applications being deployed un-
der National e-Governance Plan:
In the last two issues of the Patrika, we discussed about various safeguard mechanisms
deployed by the Ministry in the Passport Seva Project to protect the sovereignty and ownership of all criti-
cal assets including Data and Information by the Ministry.
As the Pilot implementation is achieved, we are also witnessing the robust security deployment protecting
various layers of the Passport Seva System including Data and Information. A lot of internet malicious traf-
fic has been observed including DoS (denial of service) attack, virus threat etc. but we have been successful
in averting these threats by taking proactive measures to shield the applicant’s Data in the system. Some of
the unique and noticeable efforts that have gone in strengthening the security system of the Passport Seva
Project are:
1. Centralised Access - The users of the Passport Seva System have been given authorised role based
access secured with Digital Signature Certificate (DSC). The beauty of such access is that no one has
power to meddle with the data locally and also the task being performed by any user is also audited and
tracked. It is always advisable to have centralised access for large scale Mission Mode Applications
that provide better control mechanism to be adhered centrally. Some of them are:
Level 1: Key Security Considerations at the User:
a. User authentication performed using Biometric mechanism
b. Role based access to the Passport services, transactions and data
c. DSC used for submission of applications and signing the documents
Level 2: Key Security Considerations at the Network/ Transport layer:
a. Network Link Encryption (IPSEC)
b. Encrypted HTTP session using SSL (HTTPS)
Level 3: Key Security Considerations at the Application & Database layer:
a. Dual key access for the system administrators
b. Secure storage of user credentials
c. Intrusion Prevention System to detect/prevent unauthorized activities/sessions
d. Server-to-server communication encryption
e. Secured/ encrypted storage of data/ data elements in the Database & DB Backups
f. Comprehensive logging & audit trail of sessions and transactions
10
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Technology Trends – Passport Seva System
2. Separate Access Route - Passport Seva System has different access routes to the Passport Seva Appli-
cation. Closed User Group users connected through intranet have been given secure access through a
separate portal. Other stakeholders like police, post and citizens have been given access through front
office portal routed through Passport Seva Gateway as they are internet based. Police officials have
been given access based on DSCs as they would upload police verification report in the system.
3. Active Load Balance Data Centres/Disaster Recovery Centres - Passport Seva Data Centres, first of
its kind in a Government set-up have been in operation since last three months in an active mode. Both
the Data Centres are live and load is distributed among them. Citizens however, have been given single
window access through www.passportindia.gov.in. Uniqueness of these data centres comes handy in
case of failure of one of them. Each data centre is capable of handling full load of the other data centre
i.e. catering to entire load of the Passport Seva System in disaster scenario.
4. State-of-the-art NOC (Network operation centre) - Passport Seva System also witnesses a state-of-
the-art Network Operation Centre, with well defined trouble-shooting desk such as L1, L2 and L3 sup-
port personnel posted as 24X7 operation & management which is different from other government
NOC, as it is controlled by strategic control team deployed by Ministry with clear and distinct role.
5. Security standards and certifications - Passport Seva System has followed various international stan-
dards of security and process under the supervision of third party audit agency, STQC, an autonomous
body of Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, GoI. Some of the critical standards
followed are as under:
ISO 27001 - Information Security
ISO 17799 - Operational Integrity and Security Management
ISO 20000 - Service Management
ISO 9001 - Operations of Passport Seva Kendra
ITIL/ITSM - IT Infrastructure Management
BioAPI 2.0 (ISO/IEC 19784-1:2005) - Biometric Framework
W3C specifications - Portal Development
Interoperability - Web Services, Open Standards
IEEE/ISO specifications - Project Documentation
Digital Signature (DSC) - RSA standards
Information Access/transfer protocols- SOAP, HTTP/HTTPS
My own experience confirms that PSP system has been designed, developed and deployed in best possible
manner with utmost security measures, both at system and process level. Many mission mode applications
would like to replicate such a highly secure deployment strategically controlled by the Ministry.
For any query write to:
Golok Kumar Simili,
Principal Consultant (Technology),
11
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Bidding Farewell
List of CPO Officers who bid adieu to CPO (2010-2011)
S.No. Name Post Date of Retirement Station
1. Shri Babu Ram Arya DPO 31.01.2010 Lucknow
2. Smt.B Padminidevi Amma Peon 28.02.2010 Trivandrum
3. Shri Y V Puranik APO 31.03.2010 Ahmedabad
4. Smt K Prasanakumari APO 30.04.2010 Bangalore
5. Shri C Krishnan Asstt. 30.04.2010 Cochin
6. Shri P S Kharadi PO 31.05.2010 Surat
7. Shri D H Koli DPO 31.05.2010 Pune
8. Shri C B Gameti APO 31.05.2010 Hyderabad
9. Shri K Sreenivasan Asstt. 30.06.2010 Madurai
10. Shri U A Jadhva OA 30.06.2010 Mumbai
11. Shri P D Lakhan Supdt. 31.07.2010 Jaipur
12. Shri S S Rawat Asstt. 31.07.2010 Delhi
13. Smt. Sudha V Shukla Supdt. 31.07.2010 Ahmedabad
14. Shri V P Joy Supdt. 31.07.2010 Cochin
15. Shri Hans Raj DPO 31.08.2010 Bareilly
16. Smt N R Dabhi APO 31.08.2010 Ahmedabad
17. Shri Om Prakash DPO 31.08.2010 Delhi
18. Kum Asia APO 31.08.2010 Delhi
19. Shri Karunapuri Recsorter 31.08.2010 Hyderabad
20. Smt Rosamma John APO 31.08.2010 Kozhikode
21. Shri R Y Motling Supdt. 31.08.2010 Thane
22. Smt Annie Victor APO 30.09.2010 Trichy
23. Smt. V M Kadam Daftry 30.09.2010 Mumbai
24. Shri G A Sane DPO 30.09.2010 Thane
25. Shri V Balakrishnan Asstt. 31.10.2010 Kozhikode
26. Smt K N Kavu Supdt. 31.10.2010 Cochin
27. Sh.Ghanshyam Dubey Asstt. 31.10.2010 Delhi
28. Shri B K Roy Asstt. 31.10.2010 Kolkata
29. Shri M A Sayed APO 30.11.2010 Pune
30. Shri A V Gunasekaran Supdt. 31.12.2010 Hyderabad
31. Smt. Urmila Singh Supdt. 31.12.2010 Lucknow
32. Shri A A Tejwani DPO 31.12.2010 Ahmedabad
33. Shri Y V Puranik APO 31.03.2010 Ahmedabad
34. Smt K Prasanakumari APO 30.04.2010 Bangalore
35. Shri C Krishnan, Asstt. 30.04.2010 Cochin
12
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Bidding Farewell
S.No. Name Post Date of Retirement Station
36. Shri Navin Kumar Rajak UDC 06.05.2010 Kolkata
(Resigned)
37. Smt. Sital Kaur Supdt. 20.05.2010 Jalandhar
38. Shri P S Kharadi PO 31.05.2010 Surat
39. Shri D H Koli DPO 31.05.2010 Pune
40. Shri C B Gameti APO 31.05.2010 Hyderabad
41. Shri B P Solanki Supdt. 30.04.2010 Surat
(VRS)
42. Shri Ranjana Khare OA 15.06.2010 Lucknow
(Expired)
43. Smt. P Umadevi Asstt. 25.06.2010 Trivandrum
(Expired)
44. Shri A G Rajaganesan UDC 28.06.2010 Madurai
(Removed from service)
45. Shri P Janakiraman UDC 28.06.2010 Madurai
(Removed from service)
46. Shri K Sreenivasan Asstt. 30.06.2010 Madurai
47. Shri U.A.Jadhav OA 30.06.2010 Mumbai
48. Sh.Suman Kumar Sharma Supdt. 30.06.2010 Lucknow
(Expired)
49. Smt. A Mary Kurian Supdt. 25.07.2010 Cochin
(VRS)
50. Shri A K Bhatia Asstt. 30.07.2010 Delhi
(Expired)
51. Shri P D Lakhan Supdt. 31.07.2010 Jaipur
52. Shri S S Rawat Asstt. 31.07.2010 Delhi
53. Smt. Sudha V Shukla Supdt. 31.07.2010 Ahmedabad
54. Shri V P Joy Supdt. 31.07.2010 Cochin
55. Shri D N Dubey Supdt. 03.08.2010 Delhi
(VRS)
56. Shri Sureshanand Sharma Supdt. 09.08.2010 Delhi
(VRS)
List of CPO Officers who bid adieu to CPO (2010-2011)
13
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world after water. There are numerous varieties of
tea - black, green, white, oolong, red, herbal.
Green tea is tea made solely with the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone
minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originated from China and has become
associated with many cultures in Asia from Japan to the Middle East.
The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat eve-
rything from headaches to depression. Scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evi-
dence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. A compound in green tea inhibits the
growth of cancer cells. There is also a research which indicates that drinking green tea lowers total choles-
terol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.
Few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:
Cancer - Stomach, Skin and Breast
Rheumatoid arthritis
High cholesterol levels
Cardiovascular disease
Infection
Impaired immune function
Tooth Decay
Obesity
The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate
(EGCG) which is a powerful anti-oxidant. Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the
Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed,
which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are
made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not
nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.
Till date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it
contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to
sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of cof-
fee.
So grab your cup of Green Tea but remember anything in excess is bad for health !
Health Corner
14
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Questions Answers
Citizen belongs to Punjab, residing currently with her
husband in Bangalore for past one month. There is no
address proof on her name. She was a govt. employee but
resigned form her service while moving to Bangalore.
Before going to Bangalore she was posted at Assam for
10 months and before that at J&K for 3 years.
1. Under which category (retired / ordinary) should she
apply as she is not receiving any pension from her
services?
2. What all documents are required to provide along
with passport form?
3. Is she eligible to apply for passport in Bangalore ?
4. Can she apply for passport under tatkaal category ?
5. Can she use telephone bill or other such documents
which are on her husband's name, as address proof?
This is a complex case. (1) Citizen can apply as a retired
person (2) For proof of identity of the citizen, army dis-
charge certificate, copy of the army ID card etc. are ac-
cepted . This will entitle the person to post PV (3) Citizen
may apply at Bangalore (4) Tatkaal is not allowed in such
case (5) For proof of residence, Husband's address proof
can be taken for proof of residence. However marriage
certificate or affidavit is required to prove the relation-
ship.
Citizen is a native of Bihar studying in Bangalore. He
wants to apply for passport from Bangalore. There are a
few doubts in his mind regarding the procedure.
1. Address Proof: As he is staying in Bangalore for past
2 years the residential proof that he possess has been
provided by the gram panchayat. Is the document
acceptable as address proof ? if no, then what other
documents can suffice? Is there any need for him to
submit his permanent residential proof document as
well?
2. Proof of Date of Birth: He completed his matricula-
tion from Nepal as his father was employed there.
The 10th SLC which is used as the proof of date of
birth is from the Nepal Board (April 2005), after that
immediately he moved to India and completed 12th
in Bihar from CBSE board in the year 2007. He has
been staying in India for past 5 years now. Is his 10th
SLC valid as date of birth proof ?
(1) Bonafide certificate from the college with photograph
certifying that the citizen is studying a particular course
suffices for proof of address (2) police verification in
such a case will be carried out at Bangalore address, (3)
Mentioning “under Care of guardian” in the address
should be avoided as it has a different connotation in the
passport application. (4) Since citizen is born after
26.1.1989 Birth Certificate is mandatory from the Regis-
trar of Births and Deaths at citizens place of birth, (5) If
citizen’s father was working in any Indian government
project in Nepal, proof of the same or some other docu-
ment of citizen’s father to prove Indian nationality has to
be produced.
The citizen has recently moved from U.S and needs to get
his passport renewed in tatkaal, as it will expire within
next 2 months. What documents should he submit as the
proof of residence for renewal of the passport, as he is
staying and working in India since past 2 months only.
If citizens previous passport has been issued from India,
it will be easier for the authorities to verify the creden-
tials, Since the citizen has been residing here only for the
last two months, he can be granted passport only on pre-
verification and not on Tatkaal. Certificate from the citi-
zen’s employer stating the date since he has been working
in that organization will help establish credentials, Also
attach photocopy of the immigration stamp in your pass-
port giving date of entry in India, proof of telephone con-
nection etc. could be provided as further proof of address.
Citizen Queries
Frequently Asked Questions
15
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Questions Answers
Citizen has to apply for a passport of her 3 year old
daughter. She is divorced and possess the divorce decreee
but in the decree it is not mentioned that the custody of
the child is with the mother. The judgment copy contains
an affidavits where in she and her husband has agreed
that the child will be in mother's custody. Is this affidavit
sufficient to apply for the passport ?
It is a complex case. A lot will depend on what is written
in the Divorce decree. Does the husband have visitation
rights or Does he pay maintenance ? Citizen will have to
visit the Passport office with the documents to explain. In
case a No Objection Letter for applying for a passport for
the child can be obtained from the husband the matter
will be simplified else a detailed reading and interpreta-
tion of the Court Decree by the Passport Officer will de-
cide the case.
Citizen applied for passport in 2006-2007 wherein due to
false local address verification he was fined RS 5000.
What is the procedure to apply for the passport now?
Citizen’s old case will be treated as closed and the fees
forfeited. He will have to apply afresh at the Passport
Seva Kendra along with the requisite fees and fine. De-
tails of previous application should be mentioned in the
form. The case will be escalated to the Regional Passport
Officer who will adjudicate on it.
If the citizen is applying for the re-issue of passport after
three years, is address proof mandatory ? As per form
instruction booklet incase of tatkaal it is mandatory but
not for normal.
Address proof is not mandatory for re-issue cases espe-
cially where the applicant does not want any change of
address. However in case a passport has expired three
years or more before, police verification is mandatory.
Police verification cannot be carried out properly if ad-
dress proof is not given. Hence address proof is required.
In case of re-issue of passport of Government employee,
with name change, Annexure M is required or not? As
per portal it is required and as per form instruction book-
let it is not required.
NOC from the department is required even in case of
reissue in case of government servants. Hence annexure
M or any letter from the department showing the appli-
cants changed name is necessary. In case of gazetted
Govt. servants, attested copy of the government gazette
showing the change of name may also be obtained
Is Standard affidavit issued to 6 month old child? The legal process is that any affidavit has to be signed by
a person in a sound mind, which is not the case with a six
month old child. Affidavit if any should be obtained from
the parents.
Citizen wants to apply for a passport of her child who is
12 months old. The child's father is not alive but he held a
valid passport. Does the citizen need to submit the child's
father passport copy? Along with the copy of the pass-
port, Death Certificate should also be submitted (As per
portal)
Copy of the father's passport helps to identify the pater-
nity of the child. Also in case the passport copies of both
parents are there, police verification is post (otherwise
pre). Hence if the father held a passport it is better to get
the copy of it. Also the index check of the surname may
reveal the details of the father's passport and raise doubts
in the mind of the granting officer, why the copy of the
passport was not submitted. Hence better to insist on
copy of the father's passport. Death certificate is also re-
quired so that only the mother needs to sign on annexure
"H" and the application becomes valid without the fa-
ther's signature/ consent.
Citizen Queries
Frequently Asked Questions
16
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Fun Corner
Brain Teasers
1. What is full of holes but still holds water ?
2. What is light as a feather, but even the strongest man cannot hold it
more than a few minutes ?
3. What happened in 1961 and will not happen again until 6009 ?
4. Johnny's mother had four children. The first was April, the second was May, and the third was
June. What was the name of her fourth child ?
5. There was an airplane crash, every single person died, but two people survived. How is this
possible?
6. A man and his son were in an automobile accident. The man died on the way to the hospital,
but the boy was rushed into surgery. The emergency room surgeon said "I can't operate, that's
my son!" How is this possible?
7. What came first, the chicken or the egg?
8. How can you use the letters in NEW DOOR to make one word ?
9. What starts with P, ends with E, and has thousands of letters in it ?
10. What city has no people ?
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1.Sponge
2.His Breath
3. The year reads the same upside down
4.Johnny
5. They were married
6.The surgeon was his mother
7.Dinosaurs laid eggs long before there were chickens
8.One Word
9. Post Office
10. Electricity
SOLUTION TO BRAIN TEASERS