How to apply for Passport and Visa

Indian Nationals who depart or wish to depart from the Indian Republic must carry a valid passport. Demand for passports in India has risen during the last decade due to the towering economy. Considering the rising demand, the Ministry of External Affairs launched the Passport Seva Portal (PSP) in 2010. 

From physical verification carried out by the State Police to the delivery of the Passport undertaken by India Post, the integration of Government staff ensures an efficient and hassle-free process. This article will provide you with all the necessary information on how to apply for a passport.

Eligibility for Passport in India

• Must be an Indian citizen
• Must be 18 years of age. In the case of minors, the validity of the passport is limited to 5 years only.
• Minors aged 15-18 are eligible to apply for a passport with a 10-year validity or can apply for a passport that is valid till they turn 18.

Documents required for Passport

Following are the necessary documents required for the application for the Indian passport:

• Applicant’s Identity proof such as Voter Id, Aadhaar Card, PAN Card, etc. 
• Birth Certificate, School leaving certificate, etc.
• Address proof such as Gas Connection Bill, Electricity Bill, etc.
• Passbook photo of Applicant’s bank account.
• Rent Agreement (If relevant).

For the issue of a fresh passport or reissue of a passport, one is required to fill out the form online via the Passport Seva Portal or offline by directly submitting the form at:

1. Seva Kendra
2. CPO
3. Passport office
4. District Passport Cell
5. Speed post Centre

Passport Services:

Passport Services provided by the Government of India: 

• Issue of Fresh Passport: One can apply for a passport (fresh) if applying for the first time.
• Re-issue of Passport: One can apply for the reissue of a passport if they need another passport instead of the existing passport for several reasons:

1. Damaged Passport
2. Page Exhaustion
3. Validity expired (More than 3 Years)
4. Modifications of personal information.
5. Lost passport
6. Validity expired within 3 years (Due to expiry)

Online Registration for Passport

• Visit the online portal of Passport Sahayata.
• Click on the “Apply for Passport” menu.
• You will be directed to the form page.
• Fill out all the necessary details of the applicant carefully.
• After filling out all the details, double-check before clicking on “validate and continue”
• You will be redirected to the payment gateway where you need to make the payment.
• Post-payment you will receive the confirmation and our executive will reach out to you for further processing. 

Application Form: 

Passport Application form can be filled out either online or offline.

Offline Mode:

Follow the below procedure to fill out the passport application form via offline mode:

• Download the soft copy of the passport application form from the given link.
• Once downloaded, fill out all the necessary details and submit it at the following centers:

1. Speed Post Centre
2. Citizen Service Centre
3. District Police Centre

Only applications for fresh passports can be submitted at the above-mentioned centers. These centers will be responsible for collecting the required documents, verification of the same, and payment of the passport fees. Post-payment process, the application will be sent to the Regional Passport Office for further processing such as police verification, printing, lamination, dispatching of documents, etc.      

Online Mode: 

If you want to fill out the passport application form via the online portal, then follow the below steps:

• Click on the link provided on the Passport Sahayata Portal.
• You will be directed to the “Passport Type” page where you need to select the required service from the following options:

1. Fresh or Reissue of Passport
2. Normal or Tatkal
3. Booklet of 36 or 60 pages
4. Validity of the Passport

Click on “next” once you have completed the above process.

• You will now be directed to the passport-type page where you are supposed to fill out the following details for your selected service. 

1. Details of the applicant
2. Details of the family
3. Present resident address
4. Present resident address (1)
5. Present resident address (2)
6. Emergency Contact
7. References
8. Previous Passport details
9. Other details
10. Self Declaration 

Submit the form upon completion of the above-mentioned steps

After filling out the form, click on the “Pay and Schedule Appointment” link to schedule the appointment on the "View Saved/submitted application" screen.

Lastly, click on the “Print Application Receipt” link to print out your application receipt. 

After completing the entire form-filling procedure, visit the Passport Seva Kendra/Regional Passport Office on the appointed date for further processing.

Payment

Applicants are required to make an online payment at Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) and Passport Regional Office (PSO) using any one of the following modes:

• Internet banking
• Debit Card/ Credit Card 

Post verification, the applicant will receive the passport in 7 to 14 days. 

How to apply for Visa

The process of applying for a Visa can be daunting for people who haven't done it before, so here's a quick guide to get you started. People who want to apply for Visa must do so by visiting the online portal of the Government website https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/  and then select the For Regular/Paper Visa by Indian Mission/Post option by going to the tab saying so. You will be redirected to a page on which you need to select the “REGULAR/PAPER VISA APPLICATION” option to initiate your form filing process.

Follow the below instructions to ensure you have all of the necessary information to fill out the visa application and schedule an appointment.

1. Country/Region you are applying visa from: Select your Country from the dropdown.
2. Indian Mission/Office: Select the Indian Mission Office from the dropdown.
3. Nationality/Region: Select your nationality from the dropdown.
4. Date of Birth: Enter your date of Birth in DD/MM/YYYY Format.
5. Email ID: Enter your Email address.
6. Re-enter Email ID: Re-enter your Email Id.
7. Expected Date of Arrival: Enter the expected date of arrival in DD/MM/YYYY format.
8. Visa Type: Select the type of visa service you want to apply for.
9. Purpose: Enter the purpose of applying for a visa.
10. Enter the Captcha and hit the Continue button to proceed with the application.

Prerequisites and Factors related to applying for a visa

1. Your Photograph must fulfill the set criteria.
2. Depending on the profile, you may be asked to submit additional documents.
3. e-Busines Visa, e-Tourist Visa, and e-Medical Visa are applicable under eVisa.
4. You can apply for a visa under Multiple or Single Entry Schemes.
5. Fees of the Visa vary as it depends on the type of application, scheme of entry, nationality, and other grounds.
6. You are required to provide your biometric details to the concerned immigration officer while arriving in India.
7. The validity of an E-Visa is 60 days (From the date of arrival).

Conclusion

We at Passport Sahayata provide top-of-the-line passports and related services as well as instructions on how to apply for passports that meet and often exceed, the towering demands of Indian nationals. Unlike the paper-based process, which is slow and often inaccurate, we offer you a digital service that requires no hassle and provides optimal results. We have included everything you need to know about the process, from what a passport is, and what a visa is, to how to apply for both. We hope that our article has provided you with the information and clarity you need to understand the process to apply for a passport and visa in detail and in a step-by-step manner.