MEA announces new rules to ease process of getting passport

December 24, 2016

The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced new passport rules by changing Passport Rules, 1980 in order to streamline, liberalize and ease the process of issue of passport.
The new rules aim to speed up and simplify the passport delivery process and will help single mothers, orphaned children, and sadhus obtain passports with ease. It will also eliminate the role of non-government agents and touts. Besides, passport-related grievances will now be handled on the social media platform of Twitter.

Under new rules

Birth certificate is no longer mandatory for getting passport. Applicants can submit PAN Card, birth certificate, voter id, Aadhaar, driving licence.
Henceforth, applicant of online passport application will only need to provide the name of only one parent and not both or of legal guardian.
This will enable single parents to apply for passports for their children. Besides, married applicants will not be required to provide any marriage certificate.
The application form does not require the applicants to provide the name of their spouse in case of separated or divorced persons.
Married applicants can apply for passport without attaching their marriage certificate.
Holy men can now apply for a passport with the name of their spiritual guru, instead of biological parents.
However, they have to provide a document such as voter ID, which records the name of the guru against the column for parent’s name.

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