GERNAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS:

Passport & Consular Services

With immediate effect, Indian passport holders, at the time of applying for extension, renewal and issue of fresh passport, must submit a denial letter from the New Zealand Interior Ministry confirming that they have not acquired New Zealand citizenship.

Passport & Consular services offered at the High Commission of India include issue of fresh passports to Indian nationals, renewal of passports, issue of duplicate passports/travel documents in lieu of lost/damaged passports, issue of additional booklets, issue of PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) cards, miscellaneous passport services (change of address /change in name, change in appearance, issue of Police Clearance Certificate), registration of birth /issue of birth certificate, registration of deaths, attestation of documents such as affidavits, power of attorney etc.

Instructions on passport and consular services
Please read the following instructions carefully :
1. General Instructions
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(i) 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. If lost or stolen, the fact and circumstances should immediately be reported to the local police station and police report obtained; and to the nearest Indian Mission.

(ii) It is an offence under the Passports Act, 1967 to furnish 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 passport.

(iii) Your passport can be impounded or revoked by the Government of India under the provisions of the Passports Act, 1967, in which event you will have to surrender the passport to the nearest Indian Mission.

(iv) A passport should not be sent out of any country by post.

(v) Mode of Payment of Fees

At High Commission’s Counter – payable by banker’s cheque or cash.
By Courier/Post – Only by banker’s cheque in favour of “High Commission of India, Wellington” payable at Wellington. Cash, personal cheques, company cheques and credit cards will not be accepted.
It may also be noted that fees once received will not be refunded under any circumstances, even if the application is withdrawn by the applicant or services are not provided to the individual as his/her case does not qualify for that particular service.

(vi) Applications received at the counter will be delivered through courier only, for which self addressed courier pack should be enclosed.

(vii) All application sent through post/courier must be accompanied by self addressed courier pack.
1. Please check with your courier company regarding delivery status of your application.
2. No telephonic/fax/e-mail queries regarding receipt of applications, status of visas, passports or miscellaneous services will be entertained before the time limit indicated for processing the different services. Processing time of applications is reckoned from the date of delivery.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Please send a separate acknowledgement envelope, if you (the applicant) want acknowledgement of the receipt of the passport.

EMERGENCIES: Holidays, business trips, confirmed bookings made before obtaining visa do not qualify as emergencies and will not be treated as such. Emergencies by definition refer to unexpected urgent situation. Emergency applications must be supported by documentary evidence.

2. Jurisdiction
The High Commission of India has the jurisdiction over New Zealand, Republic of Samoa, Republic of Nauru and Republic of Kiribati.

3. Timing
Applications for all passport/consular services are received at the counter from 0930 hours to 1300 hours on all working days.

4. Issue of New Passports
(i) A new passport can be applied immediately on expiry, or up to one year before expiry, of any passport, which had an initial validity of ten years. The application for a new passport should be submitted along with the existing passport, four recent passport size photographs and the requisite fee of NZ$ 90/- for 36-pages passport. Click here for the Application Form.

(ii) In case more than one year has lapsed since the expiry of the passport, you will also need to submit an affidavit stating that you have not acquired New Zealand nationality and a letter from the Citizenship Office, Government of New Zealand confirming the same. Normally, it takes six to seven
weeks to process and issue a new passport if the old passport is issued other than by the Indian High Commission.

(iii) The issuance of a new passport in lieu of a passport issued by passport issuing authority other than this High Commission depends on the expeditious response from the passport issuing authority of the existing passport.

(iv) A Minor up to the age of 18 years is issued with a passport of five years validity for a fee of NZ$ 60/-. The minor’s passport application should be accompanied by birth certificate of the minor applicant and parents passports.

5. Renewal of Passports
An Indian passport is now normally issued with a validity of ten years. Its renewal thereafter involves issue of a new passport. Click here for the Application Form.

6. Issue of Additional Booklets for Existing Valid Passports
An Additional booklet is issued for an existing valid passport when all its pages have exhausted. The application need be submitted on the form meant for issue of a new passport along with the current passport, four recent passport-size photographs and a fee of NZ$ 45/- for 36 pages additional booklet. Please note that an additional booklet is a part of the current valid passport and should be carried together. Issue of an additional booklet takes about five working days.

7. Issue of Duplicate Passports In Lieu of Lost/ damaged Passports
Duplicate passports are issued in lieu of lost/damaged/stolen passports for a fee of NZ$ 280/-. The relevant application should be submitted along with six recent passport-size photographs, police report, photocopy of lost passport or any other document in support of the applicant’s Indian nationality and a sworn affidavit in the prescribed format. The affidavit can be sworn at the High Commission itself for an additional fee of NZ$ 25/-. Click here for the Application form for Duplicate Indian Passport.

8. Change in appearance
If your appearance has changed significantly since your last passport was issued to you, you can apply for a fresh passport. The application in the form meant for issue of a new passport should be submitted along with four most recent passport-size photographs along with a fee of NZ$ 45/-.

9. Change of Name after marriage
If your surname has changed subsequent to marriage and you want a new passport in your married name, you will need to fill out the application form meant for a new passport along with four recent passport -size photographs. You also need to enclose your current passport, your original marriage certificate with a photocopy and your spouse’s passport. The fee for this service is NZ$ 45/- ,if you want an ordinary 36 pages passport or NZ$ 60/-, if you want a jumbo 60 pages passport. Click here for the Application Form.

10. Miscellaneous Passport Services
Miscellaneous services include renewal of passport, issue of birth certificate ( Fee NZ$25/-), grant of ‘emigration check not required’( Fee NZ$ 25/-), change of address( Fee NZ$ 25/-), attestation of documents ( Fee depends on the nature of the document - from NZ$ 25/- onwards), registration of births and deaths ( Fee NZ$ 50/-), inclusion/deletion of spouse’s name ( Fee NZ$ 25/-), change of present/permanent address ( Fee NZ$ 25/-), issue of Police Clearance Certificate ( Fee NZ$ 25/-) etc. Click here for the Application Form.

Duration of processing time of various services is given below :-

No. Particulars Processing Time
1 Renewal of Passport Six to Eight weeks or depending on the expeditious clearance by the Passport Issuing Authority
2 Birth Certificate One to two weeks
3 ECNR One to two weeks
4 Attestation of Documents One to two weeks
5 Registration of Birth/Death One to two weeks
6 Inclusion/deletion of spouse’s name One to two weeks
7 Change of present/permanent address One to two weeks
8 Police Clearance Certificate Six to Eight weeks or depending on the expeditious clearance by the Passport Issuing Authority

The fee is accepted only in the form of banker’s cheques. No cash, company cheques, personal cheques or money orders are accepted. Cash is accepted only at the counter.

Type of service required should be clearly marked on the application form. Original passport and self-addressed courier pack should be enclosed along with the application forms. No query shall be entertained about the status of above mentioned services before the expiry of the stipulated time limit.

11. Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Cards
If you are a person of Indian origin holding foreign passport, you can apply for issue of a PIO card. The holder of PIO card is entitled to visa free entry into India during its validity. The PIO card is issued for a period of 15 years. Its holder has been allowed parity with Non-Resident Indians in respect of facilities available to the latter in economic, financial, cultural and educational fields in India. The fee for issue of a PIO Card is NZ$ 660/-. The fee of issue of a PIO Card to a person below 18 years is NZ$ 330/-. Click here for the Application Form.

12. Attestation of Documents and Powers of Attorney
Any affidavit, declaration or Power of Attorney to be used in India may be attested in the High Commission. For this, you need to bring the documents to be attested in original alongwith a photocopy, your valid passport and the fee, which may vary depending on the documents to be attested. For exact fee required, please check the schedules of fees given on this site. You will be required to sign the documents in the presence of High Commission officials. In the case of Powers of Attorney, you also need to bring a photograph of the Executant(s). If you can’t come to the High Commission personally, then you have to first get your documents notorized by a Justice of Peace and then send them to the High Commission along with the fee and a self-addressed courier pack. If you need attestation of documents like educational certificates, birth, marriage or death certificates issued by authorities in New Zealand, these will first have to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of New Zealand.

13. Life Certificates for Pensioners
To obtain a life certificate, the personal appearance of the applicant is usually necessary at the High Commission. The applicant needs to bring his/her passport to establish identity. The life certificate is issued gratis (without any charge). In case you can’t come to the High Commission for any reason, you would be required to send a certificate from your GP stating that you were alive on a given date. On the basis of your GP’s certificate, we will issue a certificate stating that according to your doctor’s certificate, you were alive on a given date. Please send original passport and self-addressed courier pack along with your application.