- Email :- hoc.asmara@mea.gov.in
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- Emergency Contact Number :-00291 7660394
Passport Services
NOTICE FOR INDIAN CITIZENS
The Embassy is open for Indian nationals for any emergency service or assistance without any prior appointment. The Passport Officer can be contacted at telephone: 00-291-111103. For other matters, the respective officers may be met with prior appointments.
If a holder of an Indian Passport acquires the nationality of another country, he/she must immediately surrender his/her Indian Passport forthwith to the nearest Indian Mission/Post abroad. Unauthorized possession of an Indian Passport shall constitute an offence punishable under the Indian Passports Act, 1967.
Fees for Passport and Consular Services
Fees should be deposited in cash at the counter and a receipt obtained. Fees cannot be refunded, even if the application is withdrawn or where the service cannot be rendered.
Note: All individual passport applicants are requested to apply for the Indian passport through online application link or can apply by typing the URL : http://portal6.passportindia.gov.in/online/index.html in the address bar of web browser. A printout of the application form completed in all respects, after successful submission online, is to be submitted at the Embassy of India, Asmara, in person, along with the required documents as mentioned on the website.
General Information for all Passport Services
i) The Embassy has provided detailed information on all passport services on its website in order to help the applicants. Please go through the guidelines for the various categories of Passport, photograph specifications, requisite documents required for making a Passport application and the fee structure for each type of passport prior to preparing the application for submission. All applicants should submit the application in person for identification (including minors and new born babies).
ii) An ordinary passport is valid for ten years from the date of issue. Passport Issuing Authority may issue passports for a shorter duration. If the passport is issued for a short period for any reason, it can be renewed up to a maximum period of ten years without any additional passport fee. Minors are issued passports for 5 years or up to attaining 18 years, whichever is earlier.
iii) The Passport service asked for should be in the prescribed form and complete in all respects. No column should be left blank or vaguely filled with a dash, tick, etc. All signatures in the application should be using black ballpoint pen. Those who cannot affix their signatures like infants, minors or illiterate should put their thumb impression in the place of signature.
iv) It is an offense under the Passport Act 1967 to furnish false information in the application. Passport facilities would 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.
v) It is an offense to hold more than one valid passport at a time.
vi) The scale of fees for renewal and various passport related services and various other passport related services, including all kinds of miscellaneous services on passport, are prescribed by Government of India from time to time.
vii) Photographs should be in color, against a white background in dark color clothes in the size 51 mm X 51 mm. The photograph should have a frontal view, with both ears and chin to forehead being visible. Eyes should be open. There should not be any distracting shadows on the face or on the background. 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. The expression on the face should look natural. Photographs should not be older than 6 months. Applicant with White hair should have photos with blue background.
viii) Passport is a valuable document. It should always be kept either in your own custody or in the custody of a person duly authorized by you. If lost or destroyed, the fact and circumstances should be immediately reported to the nearest Indian Mission/Post and the local police.
ix) Indians holding handwritten passports must apply for Machine Readable Passports as hand written passports will not be honored on international travel from November, 2015.
Requirements For Application
Please check the following points before submitting the passport application:
Passport Application Form can be filled online at the link :https://portal6.passportindia.gov.in/online/index.html
Issue of New Passport
An Application for a new passport can be made within one year before expiry of the old passport. For this purpose, an Application Form for an Indian Passport along with your expiring passport, three recent photographs, a copy of ‘Resident Permit in Eritrea’ and an affidavit should be submitted.
Duplicate Passports (in lieu of lost/damaged Passports)
Please submit your application with the following documents:
It may take up to 1 month to complete the verification process before duplicate passports can be issue. Duplicate passports are issued only on receipt of clearances from the concerned authorities in India/Mission abroad. Applicants are, therefore, requested to refrain from making written/e-mail/telephone inquires 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 not be processed. In case of second loss/damage a triplicate passport is issued with a warning letter. Application in respect of habitual losers of passports require even longer periods for processing.
Change of Name in Passport
Change of name takes time and therefore, it is important to follow each step correctly.
For change of name or surname, consequent to marriage/divorce, please submit original marriage certificate or the original ‘order’ from the court pertaining to divorce along with photocopies and husband’s/wife’s passport.
In all other cases of change of name/surname in the passport, the change has first to be advertised in a daily newspaper, both in Eritrea and India (circulation in the area of your permanent and present residence). Original newspaper cuttings are required to be submitted. A sworn affidavit is also to be submitted along with the application. Service is provided after a waiting period of 30 days from the date of publication of advertisement in the newspaper.
Change of Date of Birth
Change of Date of Birth is viewed as a serious matter.
Applications for change in date of birth are not entertained unless accompanied by a Court Order issued by a judicial officer not below the rank of First Class Magistrate in India. Clarificatory orders/certificates of other authorities (who had issued the Date of Birth certification presented to the original Passport Issuing Authority) conveying any amendment may be produced before the Embassy for consideration.
Passports for a New Born
It is for information of all that every child should have a separate passport. For applications for passport for a child, it is necessary to submit photocopies of the child’s birth certificate, passports of the parents, Residential Permit, and family certificate. The originals of these documents are also required to be presented before the Consular Officer at the time submitting the application form.
Emergency Certificate
An Emergency Certificate is issued to an Indian in emergent circumstances and situations.
An Emergency Certificate (one way travel document) which authorities an Indian to enter India, is issued to a citizen of India whose passport has been lost, stolen or damaged and to whom new passport cannot be issued without approval from India. This is primarily with the objective of ensuring their early return to India. The final decision of issuing an Emergency Certificate is subject to a detailed examination of the request by the Embassy. It might also require certain clearances from the concerned authorities in India and/or the concerned Indian Mission/Posts abroad. It will be issued only after the complete satisfaction of the Embassy on all related issues.
i) The Embassy has provided detailed information on all passport services on its website in order to help the applicants. Please go through the guidelines for the various categories of Passport, photograph specifications, requisite documents required for making a Passport application and the fee structure for each type of passport prior to preparing the application for submission. All applicants should submit the application in person for identification (including minors and new born babies).
ii) An ordinary passport is valid for ten years from the date of issue. Passport Issuing Authority may issue passports for a shorter duration. If the passport is issued for a short period for any reason, it can be renewed up to a maximum period of ten years without any additional passport fee. Minors are issued passports for 5 years or up to attaining 18 years, whichever is earlier.
iii) The Passport service asked for should be in the prescribed form and complete in all respects. No column should be left blank or vaguely filled with a dash, tick, etc. All signatures in the application should be using black ballpoint pen. Those who cannot affix their signatures like infants, minors or illiterate should put their thumb impression in the place of signature.
iv) It is an offense under the Passport Act 1967 to furnish false information in the application. Passport facilities would 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.
v) It is an offense to hold more than one valid passport at a time.
vi) The scale of fees for renewal and various passport related services and various other passport related services, including all kinds of miscellaneous services on passport, are prescribed by Government of India from time to time.
vii) Photographs should be in color, against a white background in dark color clothes in the size 51 mm X 51 mm. The photograph should have a frontal view, with both ears and chin to forehead being visible. Eyes should be open. There should not be any distracting shadows on the face or on the background. 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. The expression on the face should look natural. Photographs should not be older than 6 months. Applicant with White hair should have photos with blue background.
viii) Passport is a valuable document. It should always be kept either in your own custody or in the custody of a person duly authorized by you. If lost or destroyed, the fact and circumstances should be immediately reported to the nearest Indian Mission/Post and the local police.
ix) Indians holding handwritten passports must apply for Machine Readable Passports as hand written passports will not be honored on international travel from November, 2015.
Requirements For Application
Please check the following points before submitting the passport application:
Passport Application Form can be filled online at the link :https://portal6.passportindia.gov.in/online/index.html
Issue of New Passport
An Application for a new passport can be made within one year before expiry of the old passport. For this purpose, an Application Form for an Indian Passport along with your expiring passport, three recent photographs, a copy of ‘Resident Permit in Eritrea’ and an affidavit should be submitted.
Duplicate Passports (in lieu of lost/damaged Passports)
Please submit your application with the following documents:
It may take up to 1 month to complete the verification process before duplicate passports can be issue. Duplicate passports are issued only on receipt of clearances from the concerned authorities in India/Mission abroad. Applicants are, therefore, requested to refrain from making written/e-mail/telephone inquires 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 not be processed. In case of second loss/damage a triplicate passport is issued with a warning letter. Application in respect of habitual losers of passports require even longer periods for processing.
Change of Name in Passport
Change of name takes time and therefore, it is important to follow each step correctly.
For change of name or surname, consequent to marriage/divorce, please submit original marriage certificate or the original ‘order’ from the court pertaining to divorce along with photocopies and husband’s/wife’s passport.
In all other cases of change of name/surname in the passport, the change has first to be advertised in a daily newspaper, both in Eritrea and India (circulation in the area of your permanent and present residence). Original newspaper cuttings are required to be submitted. A sworn affidavit is also to be submitted along with the application. Service is provided after a waiting period of 30 days from the date of publication of advertisement in the newspaper.
Change of Date of Birth
Change of Date of Birth is viewed as a serious matter.
Applications for change in date of birth are not entertained unless accompanied by a Court Order issued by a judicial officer not below the rank of First Class Magistrate in India. Clarificatory orders/certificates of other authorities (who had issued the Date of Birth certification presented to the original Passport Issuing Authority) conveying any amendment may be produced before the Embassy for consideration.
Passports for a New Born
It is for information of all that every child should have a separate passport. For applications for passport for a child, it is necessary to submit photocopies of the child’s birth certificate, passports of the parents, Residential Permit, and family certificate. The originals of these documents are also required to be presented before the Consular Officer at the time submitting the application form.
Emergency Certificate
An Emergency Certificate is issued to an Indian in emergent circumstances and situations.
An Emergency Certificate (one way travel document) which authorities an Indian to enter India, is issued to a citizen of India whose passport has been lost, stolen or damaged and to whom new passport cannot be issued without approval from India. This is primarily with the objective of ensuring their early return to India. The final decision of issuing an Emergency Certificate is subject to a detailed examination of the request by the Embassy. It might also require certain clearances from the concerned authorities in India and/or the concerned Indian Mission/Posts abroad. It will be issued only after the complete satisfaction of the Embassy on all related issues.
