How to Apply for new born baby passport in India ?

I applied for my passport renewal/ re-issue in India couple years back and described how easy it was to get that. I was looking all around for guidance on how to apply for the passport for a new born baby in India…no luck…I realized, it is better to capture my thoughts and share my experience with you all so that some of you can benefit.

Firstly, there is NO need to pay to an agent or anyone for this process, it is very clear and simple. I did everything on my own, without seeking anyone’s help. I received my baby’s passport in about a little over a week via registered post. I applied it as normal processing mode ( NOT Tatkaal).

Step 1: Apply for Birth Certificate

Our baby was born in a little town in India and the first and foremost thing that I did was apply for a birth certificate at the municipality office. Depending on where your baby was born you would have to go the respective government body like Municipal office and apply for birth certificate. Also, the hospital your baby was born in will ask you to fill out a form and you would need to mention all the details clearly on that, as that form will be sent to the municipal office or govt body. It takes about two weeks to a month to get that. Nowadays everything is electronic. Depending on the state, you would have the state body give you a digitally signed birth certificate with an application number. I could check the details in the Govt website using the application number. You can submit your Passport copy and your spouse’s passport copy or Aadhar copy for spelling and proof. Make sure your name, your spouse name and baby name are printed correctly, if not you will have issues. I had to re-apply for my birth certificate requesting corrections for the name as the address was wrong and they messed up the surname of my baby. Eventually, I got the birth certificate of my baby in about 1.5 months. This is the most important or the only document required I would say.

Step 2 : Register Account in Passport Seva Website

First thing you need to do is register and create an account at Passport Seva Website : http://passportindia.gov.in/ . When you are registering a new account, you may not find the exact Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) center in the drop down as it may not be the major one and just a collection or appointment center. In that case, you select the head of the state. For instance, you will NOT see Tirupati in the list of Passport Office, when you register, you will have to Select Hyderabad. It can be very misleading, but trust me, I did exactly the same thing by selecting the head office. The process is pretty standard and ensure that all the spellings are correct. Make sure you give a valid email ID, as the link to activate your account and other status emails will be sent to the email address. Once you register you will get an email to activate your account, then you are set with registration. You can check the guide to Applying Indian Passport Online, the basic steps on the website are same irrespective of the kind of passport.

Step 3: Walk-in Directly with Application Receipt Printed

As per Passport Seva Kendra Website, some categories like Senior Citizens and Minors can directly do walk-ins to Passport Seva Kendra without prior appointment. You will need to take a print out of the Application Receipt (ARN) and carry that with you. You can pay the fee online and take the appointment as well. As you are applying for minor, you may do a walk-in as well and pay it there. I paid the fee online and took appointment as written in the below step 4 as I did not know that I can walk-in. Thanks to Raju for sharing his experience and helping add this info. The below step is optional. But, I highly recommend getting an appointment, if you have time to avoid any confusions at PSK.

Step 4 (optional) : Pay and Book Appointment on Passport Seva Kendra Website :

After you register, activate and login to your account, you will be have options to book an appointment. Look at the left side navigation, you will have service section saying “View my saved/submitted applications”. Click on that and then you will get options to “pay and schedule appointment”. You will need to do payment before you can book an appointment. You can pay using challan or visa/master card. Only certain banks are listed like State Bank of India, if you want to use specific bank card. I recommend using any Visa or Mastercard of any bank and get through the payment, as it saves a lot of hassle. I used a visa card of some different bank and had no problems. You can just pay first and do NOT book, if you are not sure of the schedule. I first paid the fees and completed the payment process. I was waiting for the right dates to open for booking slot. Usually dates would be available at about 4 to 5 days before the actual date of appointment. So, it is pretty clear, wait for the slots to open and book the date. Also, there is no hassle in process, where you need wait at a certain time of the day for the slots to open and there is so many people booking at same time. With the payment process in place, it is very clear and there is no artificial demand created, so just book it at your convenient time, no need to pay some for getting slot. Once your slot if booked using the system, take a print out the appointment receipt as you will need it for the entry at the Passport Seva Kendra ( PSK). Read all the instructions clearly on the appointment letter as it has all the information you need.

Documents Required for your Newborn Baby at Passport Seva Kendra.

Assuming your situation is straightforward, with both parents alive and both are legally together, below are the Required documents List :

1. Birth Certificate issued from the Govt Authority like Municipal office.Carry a copy of this.
2. Proof of present address – usually parent’s passport with address is sufficient. If not, any utility bill, Aadhar Card, Gas connection, Election Voter ID, etc. with the address. We took copies of our passports ( mine and my wife’s) as it served as the address proof documents and other identification proof. Carry a copy of the address proof.
3. Parents need to print and sign Annexure H from the passport Seva Kendra website
4. One Passport Photo of the Baby with White Background.
5. Printed copy of the PSK appointment receipt.

Optional documents:

My wife’s name was endorsed on my passport, so it was very straightforward. If not, it does not hurt to carry the Marriage certificate to avoid issues. Below is a situation that is very common for many…

My spouse is abroad working in different country and cannot come to Passport office, What do I need to do ? What is the process ?

As per passport application guidelines for minors, you need to have consent of both the parents signed in Annexure H and they need to be present. If one of them is abroad and cannot make it. He or She needs to go to nearest Indian Consulate/ Embassy abroad and get a Sworn Affidavit duly attested by the Indian Embassy/Consulate abroad officials (as per Annexure “H”). The original sworn affidavit needs to be carried along with you when you go to the passport office.

I always recommend you all to check the passport office website to verify, if any changes to the process or required documents.

You may also read How to apply for minor Passport without Spouse Name Endorsed Experience.

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