General Information

Global Passport Seva Version 1.0 has migrated to Global Passport Seva Version 2.0 with effect from 3rd September, 2025. The new website for filling the application is https://mportal.passportindia.gov.in/gpsp.  Only ICAO compliant photographs will be accepted for submission of passport applications. 

Guidelines for ICAO Compliant Photographs for Passport Applications: Here are the photograph guidelines as per ICAO standards to be adhered to photograph capturing or uploading for passport services.

1.Close up of the head and top of the shoulders such that the face takes up 80-85% of the photograph.
2. The photograph should be in color and dimensions should be 630*810 Pixels.
3. Photos should be unaltered by computer software.
4. Background of the photograph should be White.
5. The photographs must –
o Show the applicant looking directly at the camera.
o Show the skin tones naturally.
o Have appropriate brightness and contrast.
o Show the applicants eyes open and clearlyvisible.
o Should not have hair across the eyes.
o Be taken with uniform lighting and not show shadows or flash
reflections on the face and no red eye.
o Mouth should not be open.
o Be taken from distance of 1.5 meters from a camera (not too
close)
o Should not be blurred
6. It should have full face, front view, eyes open.
7. Photo should be present full head from top of hair to bottom of chin.
8. Centre head within frame (head should not be tilted).
9. There should not be any distracting shadows on the face or in the background (should not have reflection of the glasses; glasses to be
taken off to avoid reflections).
10. Illumination shall not cause any red eye effects visible in the eyes or other effects reducing the visibility of the eyes.
11. Head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons, but the facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both
edges of the face must be clearly shown.
12. The expression on the face should look natural.

Timeline for Passport and other Consular services

Passport : 4 to 8 weeks (In cases where police verification is required, it may take more time)

Police Clearance Certificate (PCC):   PCC will be issued only after police clearance.

OCI - It will take about 8-10 weeks for issue of a printed OCI card, if everything is found to be fine with the application form, photo, address, etc., by the authorities in India.
For OCI renewal and conversion of PIO cards, it will take around 6-8 weeks.
For applicants who are applying OCI cards on the basis of their spouse (Foreign Spouse Application), it will take much longer time than the usual. 

Other Consular services: 1-3 workings days 

General information for applicants:
Passport is issued under the Passports Act, 1967. It is an offence punishable with imprisonment or fine or both, to furnish false information or suppress information, which attracts penal and other action under relevant provisions of Section 12 of the Passports Act, 1967. Passport is a very valuable document. Hence, all holders are required to take due care that it does not get damaged, mutilated or lost. Passports should not be sent out to any country by post/ courier or by hand of anyone else other than the holder. 

Loss of passport should be immediately reported to the nearest Police Station and to the Passport Office or Indian Mission, if abroad. Passport holder shall be responsible for misuse of passport, due to non-intimation of loss, to the concerned Passport Office/Indian Mission. Passport is a government property and should be surrendered when demanded in writing by any Passport Issuing Authority. 

Passport facilities could be denied on grounds of suppression of material information, submission of incorrect particulars, willful damage/loss of passport or for unauthorized change/tampering. The Passport can be impounded or revoked for violation of one or more of the provisions of the Passport Act. 

Merely submission of an application, however, does not constitute a claim for issue of a passport. It remains a request/requisition for a passport, which may be rejected due to deficiency in the supporting documents, not following the prescribed procedures or any other reason. 

It is advisable to hold only machine readable passports. Application can be made for issue of new passports where the current passport is handwritten. Issue of handwritten passports has been discontinued in line with orders of Government of India since 2012.
It is an offence to hold more than one valid passport at a time. Those Indian citizens acquiring citizenship/passport of another country should immediately surrender their Indian Passport to the nearest Indian Embassy/High Commission.
Original passports are to be brought at the time of collection of new passport for cancellation (except the pages containing the visa).
Any change or damage in laminated pages of passport would require to apply for a fresh passport booklet.
If an applicant is married, he/she has to include his/her Spouse name in passport, for that Marriage Registration Certificate (which should be appostiled) is an essential requirement. Any suppression or wrong representation of facts may attract penal action.

 
For change of name in the passport, applicant has to provide original Newspaper cuttings announcing the change of name published in two leading daily newspapers (one popular daily newspaper in the area of the applicant’s present address and another at his permanent address) or name change by Gazette notification published in the Indian Union/State official Gazette especially in cases of complete name change abroad.
Fee paid for the passport related services is non-refundable.
Physical presence of applicant is mandatory.

After submitting the form online, take a print out of the application, submit the same along with required documents, and prescribed fee (in cash only) at the Consulate on any working day. No prior appointment is required.