How to apply for a new Indian passport

This is a general overview of the usual process. The portal decides the exact rules, so use this page to know what to expect and the portal to do the real work.

Before you start

• Keep a working email address and mobile number. The portal sends confirmations there.
• Check the documents listed below against the portal's Document Advisor for your case (adult, minor, senior citizen, normal or Tatkaal). The portal's list is the final word.

Documents you will need

Take the original documents and one set of self-attested photocopies to the Passport Seva Kendra. For a fresh passport you normally need proof of your date of birth and proof of your present address. The lists below are the ones the Passport Seva portal publishes (checked on the date shown above).

Proof of date of birth

If you were born before 1 October 2023, one of these:

• Birth certificate issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths, the Municipal Corporation or another authority empowered under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969
• Transfer, school leaving or matriculation certificate from the last recognised school attended, or from a recognised educational board, showing your date of birth
• PAN card showing your date of birth
• Extract of your service record (Government servants only) or Pay Pension Order (retired Government servants), attested or certified by the officer in charge of administration of your Ministry or Department
• Driving licence showing your date of birth
• Election Photo Identity Card (voter ID) showing your date of birth
• Policy bond from the Life Insurance Corporation of India or a public company showing the policyholder's date of birth

The PAN card, service record, driving licence and voter ID are accepted only if they show your exact date of birth.

If you were born on or after 1 October 2023, the only accepted proof is the birth certificate described in the first item above.

Proof of present address

One of these:

• Aadhaar card or e-Aadhaar (accepted only after the portal validates it against the Aadhaar database)
• Electricity bill
• Water bill
• Telephone bill (landline or post-paid mobile)
• Proof of gas connection
• Income Tax Assessment Order
• Election Commission photo ID card (voter ID)
• Rent agreement
• Photo passbook of a running bank account (only certain banks; the portal lists them)
• Certificate from your employer on company letterhead (only public limited companies, with the company seal; computer print-outs are not accepted)
• Your spouse's passport (first and last pages, including the family details naming you as spouse), but only if your present address matches the address in that passport
• For a minor: a parent's passport (first and last pages), or an address proof in a parent's name

You only need proof of your present address, however long you have lived there. You must still write all the places you stayed in the past year on the application form.

Other cases

Tatkaal applications, changes of name or surname after marriage or divorce, adding or removing a spouse's name, and applications for minors need extra or different documents. The portal's Document Advisor shows exactly what applies to you. Your regional Passport Office page may also list additional documents.

Steps

1. Register on the Passport Seva portal and log in.
2. Fill in the application for a fresh passport. You can save it and return to finish it.
3. Pay the fee online. The amount depends on the type of application, the number of pages and the service speed. The portal shows the current fee before you pay.
4. Book an appointment at a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) or a Post Office Passport Seva Kendra near you.
5. Visit on the appointment day with the printed application receipt and the original documents the portal asks for.
6. Wait for verification. Police verification may follow, and the passport is then sent to you by post. You can follow progress on the portal.

Good to know

• Only use the official portal to book appointments and pay. Be careful with sites and agents that look similar and ask for extra money.
• If your details change or something is rejected, the portal explains what to correct.