Traveling to foreign countries has no longer remained a distant dream for many of us. With the rapid economic progress in the country, many Indians now frequently travel to other countries for business, leisure, studies, medical treatment, and other purposes. This has been made possible by the simplification of the process of obtaining a new or renewing the Passport.

Passport is an essential travel document that is required by anyone wishing to travel to a foreign country. It is not necessary that you need to apply for a passport only if you are traveling abroad, it also serves as an essential identity and address proof.

Indian Passport and Validity

An Indian passport is valid only for 10 years from the date of issue. The date of issue and expiry of the passport are explicitly mentioned in the passport. An Indian passport can have 36 or 60 pages. There are different types of passports that can be applied for in India: –

• Regular Passport
• Diplomatic Passport
• Official Passport

Having a passport does not guarantee entry into another country but is a pre-requisite for visiting a foreign country.   To continue availing the benefits of a passport, you have to make sure that your passport renewal is done after 10 years or expiration of its validity. With the help of the Passport Seva Portal, you can now conveniently perform all the tasks related to your passport application, online.

Documents required for passport renewal

When you are applying for a passport renewal, you need to provide certain supporting documents with your application form. The documents required for passport renewal are:

• Original/Old Passport
• Copy of the first two and last two pages of the passport (Self-attested)
• Copy of the ECR/ECNR Page of the passport (Self-attested)
• Copy of page of Observation, if any. (Self-attested)
• Copy of the validity extension page, if any. (Self-attested)

You can also access the up to date list of documents required for passport renewal from the Passport Seva Online Portal’s Document Advisor service.

Passport Renewal Process

If your passport has expired, then you must renew it before you can use it again. In India, there are two modes of applying for passport renewal – online and offline. With the rapid integration of technology and internet, the passport application process has become relatively effortless. 

If you wish to submit your passport application online, you first need to register for passport login. Once you have successfully registered on the Passport Seva portal; you can complete many tasks related to your passport effortlessly. 

Passport Login Registration

Here are the steps that you need to follow to complete your registration on the Passport Seva Portal.

• Visit the official passports seva website at https://portal1.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/welcomeLink/
• Click on the link “New User? Register Now.”
• Now, select your respective passport office (nearest to your city)
• Enter your personal details as prompted on the screen.
• Create your login id and password as per the terms and conditions of the website.
• Select your hint question and answer to retrieve your account if details are lost.
• Click on the button “Register.”
• Now, you will receive an activation link in your email. Click on the link to activate your account.
• Your account is now activated, and you can now proceed ahead with your passport renewal application.

Once you have successfully registered on the Passport Seva Online Portal, you can now proceed ahead with your renewal of passport application online.

Passport Login for applying for a fresh passport or reissue of passport Here are the steps that you need to follow to submit your application for renewal of passport through Passport Login: –

• Log in to the official passport seva website https://portal1.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/welcomeLink
• Click on the link “Existing User? Login”.
• Now, you must click on the link “Apply for fresh passport/ Re-issue of passport”.
• Provide all the details that are required including your details as well as the details of the passport that is to be renewed.
• Cross check all the details before submitting the form as these details can not be changed manually, and you might need to apply from scratch if there are any errors.
• Click on the link “View Saved/Submitted Application” to schedule an appointment.
• Online payment has been made compulsory for booking appointments at the Passport Seva Kendra or Passport office.
• Complete the online payment process through any of the accepted modes of payment.
• If you do not have access to internet banking, debit card or credit card, you can print an offline challan and make the payment at the SBI bank Branch. It will take up to two days for the bank to verify your payment.
• After you have completed the application process, click on the link “Print Application receipt”. This receipt contains all your details along with the application reference number.
• If you do not have a printer, you can show the SMS that you have received as a proof of appointment when you visit the Passport Seva Kendra or the passport office.

Make sure that you visit the Passport Seva Kendra or the passport office on the designated date and at the designated time. If you miss an appointment, you will have to re-apply for an appointment all over again. 

Points to note while visiting the Passport Seva Kendra/Passport office

Here are some points that you need to remember when you visit the Passport Seva Kendra/Passport office for your appointment: –

• Take all your documents along with an extra copy.
• Reach the centre at least 15 minutes before your designated time.
• Follow the instructions and guidelines prescribed by the officer to complete the process.

Once your application has been accepted, you shall receive your passport at your address within a few working days. You can always use your Passport Login details and track the status of your passport application online.

What E-Passport could be?

The finance minister has said India will start issuing e-passports in 2022-23. When first announced in 2019, these were some of the features proposed:

• These e-passports will take a few seconds to read.
• The prototype was tested in a US government-identified laboratory.
• They are expected to have thicker front and back covers.
• The back cover is expected to have a small silicon chip.
• The chip will have 64 Kilobytes of memory space.
• The holder’s photograph and fingerprints will be stored in the chip.
• Will have the capacity to store 30 visits.

Related Articles:
1. Types of Passports in India
2. How to Check Passport Tracking Status?