GERNAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS:

a. Your passport is a valuable document. It should always be either in your own custody or in the custody of a person duly authorized by you. It must not be altered or mutilated in any way. If lost or destroyed, the fact and circumstances should be immediately reported to the nearest Indian Mission and to the local police.

b. It is an offense under the Passports Act 1967 to give false information in the Application. Passport facilities can be denied on grounds of suppression of factual information, submission of false particulars, willful damage of passport and for making unauthorized changes in the passports.

Note: Indian Citizenship Law Does Not Provide For Dual Citizenship and, accordingly, it is illegal for a person to possess an Indian Passport once he/she has become a citizen of another country. The holder of an Indian passport should therefore return his/her Indian passport to the nearest Indian Consulate/Embassy on becoming citizen of any other country (including the US).

WHERE TO APPLY FOR PASSPORT SERVICES

Jurisdiction of the Consulate General of India, New York extends to the following states:

Connecticut,
Maine,
Massachusetts,
New Hampshire,
New Jersey,
New York,
Ohio,
Pennsylvania,
Puerto Rico,
Rhode Island,
Vermont and
the Virgin Islands

If you are a resident outside this area, please apply for your Passport services, depending on the location of your residence as per details below:

a. Embassy of India, Washington DC : Address: 2107 Massachusetts Ave., Washington DC 20008, Tel. 202-939-7000, Fax: 202-265-7532. Jurisdiction: Delaware, Washington D.C., Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, The Bahamas.

b. Consulate General of India, Chicago : Address: Consulate General of India, Chicago, 455 N, Cityfront Plaza Drive, Suite 850, NBC Tower, Chicago, Illinois - 60611, Tel. 312-595-0405, Fax: 312-595-0416 and 312-595-0418. Jurisdiction: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, N.Dakota, S.Dakota, Wisconsin, and Missouri

c. Consulate General of India, San Francisco : Address: 540 Arguello Boulevard, San Francisco, CA -94118 Tel. 415-668-0662, Fax: 415-668-9764. Jurisdiction: Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, California

d. Consulate General of India, Houston : Address: Suite 600, 6th floor, 3 Post Oak Central, 1990 Post Oak Boulevard, Houston, Texas - 77056, Tel. 713-626-2148, Fax: 713-626-2450. Jurisdiction: Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Georgia.

P.S. Those permananetly reident in India but present in the USA on visitor's visa are advised to apply in their area of permanent residence in India. Applications from such applicants are accepted only in exceptional situations and passports valid for a maximum of one year can be issued subject to no objection from concerned authorities.

RENEWAL OF A FULL VALIDITY PASSPORT
OR NEW PASSPORT OR RENEWAL AFTER 10 YEARS (F OR FINAL)

Application for a new passport has to be made when applicant's old passport has completed 10 years (Final or F). The Application for a new passport can be made also up to one year before the expiry of the Passport.

This is different from Extension of validity of a passport which is applied for in case of short validity passports (where validity is either 6 months or one year). This service can be rendered on passports only up to a total of ten years, which is the prescribed life of an Indian passport booklet after which the validity cannot be extended on the same booklet. Therefore a new booklet needs to be issued and applied for.

In reckoning 10 years, life of any additional booklet in possession should also be added. Also, in case of possession of a duplicate passport 10 years has to be counted from the date of issue of the original passport in lieu of which the duplicate passport was issued.

The application needs to be made on the Application Form for an Indian Passport .

Other requirements are:

Old Passport (in original);
Four Passport size photographs showing frontal view of full face including the one to be pasted on the top of application form;
Prescribed fee of US $ 40 for normal booklet (36 pages) or US $ 50 for Jumbo booklet (60 pages). Fee has to be paid in cash, (only at the counter) certified checks or money orders payable to the Consulate General of India, New York. Please note that we do not accept any personal checks. Cash when applying by mail is also not accepted. Applicants may include $15 for Express Mail or $5 for Certified Mail if delivery of documents is requested by mail. It is possible to send one combined check for the consular service and mailing service. Kindly note that money once paid is not refunded on refusal of service or delay in service. We regret our inability to accept currency notes of denomination higher than $50.00. Please insist on a receipt for any money paid at the counter and present the same for collection of documents between 4:30 - 5:15 p.m.;
Copy of the first five and last two pages of the passport;
Copy of pages indicating US visa or Original Green card or Employment Authorization Card (EAC) or other visa documents to be shown at the counter and a copy of both sides of documents deposited (in case application is being mailed, a notarized copy of these documents can be sent);
in case application for Green Card or EAC or visa is pending/being processed, a copy of documents in support of this fact must be deposited

THE DECLARATION AT THE END OF THE APPLICATION FORM TO BE NOTARISED IN CASE THE OLD PASSPORT HAS EXPIRED MORE THAN ONE YEAR AGO
In case your present passport does not contain the name of spouse and you wish to have it entered in your new passport, copy of marriage certificate must be sent.

Application form must be signed by the applicant and completed in all respects. Please ensure that the applicant's signature or thumb impression is provided in the box at the end of the application form. This is required for insertion in the passport.

Old passport would be returned after cancellation. Valid visas in the old passport are not cancelled and can be used after cancellation.

Kindly note that while the requirements mentioned above are complete in all respects, the Consulate has the right to ask for any necessary original documents at any stage and these documents are required to be presented for scrutiny and satisfaction of the Consular officer before rendering any service.

RENEWAL OF A SHORT VALIDITY PASSPORT

OR EXTENSION OF VALIDITY OF A SHORT VALIDITY PASSPORT

The validity of a passport can be extended up to 10 years from the date of issue. Please note that after the passport has completed 10 years, there is a need to apply for a New Passport .

For Extension of validity Application Form for Extension of Validity must be filled up.

Other requirements are:

Passport in original;
Two Passport size photographs showing frontal view of full face including the one that is to be pasted on the form;
a copy of your passport;
copy of pages indicating US visa or original Green card or Employment Authorization Card (EAC) to be shown at the counter and a copy of both sides of documents deposited (in case application is being mailed, a notarized copy of these documents can be sent);
in case application for Green Card or EAC or visa is pending/being processed, a copy of documents in support of this fact must be deposited

There is no fee for extension of a short validity passport.

However, if applying by mail, return mail charges as applicable must be sent for return of passports.

Fee has to be paid in cash, (only at the counter) certified checks or money orders payable to the Consulate General of India, New York. Please note that we do not accept any personal checks. Cash when applying by mail is also not accepted. Applicants may include $15 for Express Mail or $5 for Certified Mail if delivery of documents is requested by mail. Kindly note that money once paid is not refunded on refusal of service or delay in service. We regret our inability to accept currency notes of denomination higher than $50.00. Please insist on a receipt for any money paid at the counter and present the same for collection of documents between 4:30 - 5:15 p.m.

Kindly note that while the requirements mentioned above are complete in all respects, the Consulate has the right to ask for any necessary original documents at any stage and these documents are required to be presented for scrutiny and satisfaction of the Consular officer before rendering any service.

REPLACE A LOST OR DAMAGED PASSPORT

OR OBTAIN A DUPLICATE PASSPORT

The application needs to be made on the Application Form for an Indian Passport .

Another form to be filled up is the Proforma for Verification of Nationality Status and Antecedents ;

Other requirements are:

Prescribed fee of US $ 125. Fee has to be paid in cash, (only at the counter) certified checks or money orders payable to the Consulate General of India, New York. Please note that we do not accept any personal checks. It is possible to send one combined check for the consular service and mailing service. Kindly note that money once paid is not refunded on refusal of service or delay in service. We regret our inability to accept currency notes of denomination higher than $50.00. Please insist on a receipt for any money paid at the counter and present the same for collection of documents between 4:30 - 5:15 p.m.;
Six photographs (ignore the separate requirement mentioned in the Nationality/Antecedents Form and including one photograph pasted on the application form);
Police report (in original) about loss of passport;
Declaration at the end of the application form duly NOTARISED;
Photocopy of both sides of Green Card/Employment authorization card or valid or expired visa (originals of these documents have to be shown at the counter at the time of application and presented whenever asked for by the Consular Officer);
Photocopy of the passport or original passport in case of damaged passport; Current School ID and Letter from school/college in the USA (in case of students only);
Matriculation certificate/School Leaving Certificate or any other school records in India or the USA;
Birth Certificate;
Driver License (issued in India and the USA);
any Indian Photo Identity card or any Indian document indicating Indian nationality;
Proof of stay in the USA (from the date indicated in the application form by the applicant), such as Telephone Bill, house lease deed/bank certificate/insurance policy, job letter or any other evidence;
Photocopy of passport of spouse/parents as applicable

Applications for duplicate passport are neither accepted nor dispatched by post. Applicant has to come in person for filing application for a duplicate passport.

It may take up to three to six months to complete the process of necessary verifications and duplicate passports can be issued only on receipt of clearances from the concerned authorities in India. Applicants are, therefore, requested to refrain from making written or telephone enquiries during this period.

It is important to furnish full, accurate and truthful information in the form. Misrepresentation of facts may result in denial of passport facilities. Applications received with incomplete details will remain unprocessed. Habitual losers of passports may be denied further passport facilities.

Kindly note that while the requirements mentioned above are complete in all respects, the Consulate has the right to ask for any necessary original documents at any stage and these documents are required to be presented for scrutiny and satisfaction of the Consular officer before rendering any service.

PASSPORT FOR A MINOR CHILD

All minor children (up to 18 years of age) need to have a separate passport and their name no longer can be included in parent's passport.

Passport of the minor child will be valid for five years from the date of issue or till 18 years of age whichever is less.

Requirements are:
Application Form for an Indian Passport ;
Three photographs;
Prescribed fee of US $ 25. Fee has to be paid in cash, (only at the counter) certified checks or money orders payable to the Consulate General of India, New York. Please note that we do not accept any personal checks. Cash when applying by mail is also not accepted. Applicants may include $15 for Express Mail or $5 for Certified Mail if delivery of documents is requested by mail. It is possible to send one combined check for the consular service and mailing service. Kindly note that money once paid is not refunded on refusal of service or delay in service. We regret our inability to accept currency notes of denomination higher than $50.00. Please insist on a receipt for any money paid at the counter and present the same for collection of documents between 4:30 - 5:15 p.m.;
Birth Certificate;
Registration of birth at the Indian Consulate if child born in the USA OR if the child's name is endorsed on either parent's passport, then passport of that parent (Passport in this case would be issued to the minor child only after deletion of child's name from the passport of the parent);
Original Green card or Employment Authorization Card (EAC) or other visa documents to be shown at the counter and a copy of both sides of documents deposited (in case application is being mailed, a notarized copy of these documents can be sent);
in case application for Green Card or EAC or visa is pending/being processed, a copy of documents in support of this fact must be deposited;
passport of both parents;
consent of both parents in the form of a sworn affidavit in a prescribed proforma ;
consent letter in the form of a sworn affidavit in a prescribed proforma duly attested by an Indian Mission/Post if a parent is residing in another country .

ATTESTATION OF AN AFFIDAVIT FOR ISSUE OF CHILD’S PASSPORT: This is required when one of the parent of the child is staying abroad and passport is to be issued to the child in India afresh or after deletion of the child’s name in the passport of the parent resident in India. The affidavit in the prescribed proforma has to be submitted in duplicate along with the passport of the parent staying abroad. Fee is US $10/-.
Kindly note that while the requirements mentioned above are complete in all respects, the Consulate has the right to ask for any necessary original documents at any stage and these documents are required to be presented for scrutiny and satisfaction of the Consular officer before rendering any service.

CHANGE OF OTHER PARTICULARS

Other particulars, such as, photographs, signature, name of the spouse, parents, address etc., involves issue of a new booklet and therefore must be applied for in accordance with instructions for additional booklet .

Applicants must submit relevant documents in support for the change being sought.

In case of change of photograph, an additional photograph duly signed by the applicant and notarised must also be submitted.

In case of inclusion of the name of the spouse in the passport, marriage certificate in original along with a copy of the passport of the spouse would be required.

There may be additional requirements depending on the nature of request which would depend on the discretion of the Consular officer.