Passport is an indispensable identification document when traveling abroad. A valid passport is a must for traveling abroad for any purpose be it holiday celebration, work or study. Just because you have a passport once, you can’t travel abroad all the time. The passport should be renewed before its expiry. In India, passports are generally valid for ten years.
Passport can be renewed in the last year of its validity. Even if the passport expires, there is still up to three years to renew the passport. It is considered advisable to renew the passport nine months before the expiry date. Because if it is delayed again, it may not be possible to meet the general visa criteria of countries that require a passport with a validity of at least six months.
Passport rules for minors vary. Passports are granted for five years to those below 18 years of age. Passport should be renewed after five years or 18 years, whichever is earlier. There is also an option to get a passport for ten years between the ages of 15 and 18 years.
Documents required for passport renewal
The following documents are required for passport renewal.
1. Your passport.
2. Copy of first and last two pages of passport.
3. Self attested copies of ECR (Emigration Check Required)/ Non ECR pages.
4. Address Proof.
5. Copy of passport page showing expiry date.
6. Short Validity Passport (SVP) is issued temporarily to those facing criminal cases and in very urgent cases. It is usually given for one year. At the time of passport renewal, you must produce documents showing that for whatever reason the SVP was granted to you, that reason has ceased.
A prescribed fee is required along with these documents for passport renewal. For adults, the application fee is Rs 1,500 per 36 pages for renewal of passport for ten years. An additional fee of Rs 2,000 has to be paid for instant access. If it is now 60 pages, the passport application fee will increase to Rs 2,000. For children below 18 years of age, a fee of Rs. Now, for 10-year passports for 15-18-year-olds, the passport fee will go up to Rs 1,500.
After taking the appointment date and time online, visit the nearest Passport Seva Kendra to renew your passport. First Passport Seva website should be taken Complete the registration on the site and get the login ID. After entering the portal using this login, click on Apply for a New Passport/Reissue of Passport option. After ensuring that all the required information has been entered, select Payment and Scheduling of Appointment.
Make payment using the payment methods provided on the website. Submit the form with full details. After this you can click on the option “Print the Application Receipt” and print it. The procedure can be completed by appearing at the nearest Passport Seva Kendra on the day and time mentioned therein along with the necessary documents.
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Now Digi Yatra, ePassport, eVisa, eTicket…
Travels are also going digital. Especially the time is not far when it will be possible to travel abroad without any documents. Recently, the US government has successfully completed the pilot project of paperless visa. With this coming into force, the traditional methods of visa stamping and entering in the passport will be gone. With Digi Yatra, ePassport, eVisa and eTicket, traveling is becoming more and more paperless and easy.
A US diplomatic mission to Dublin was the first to travel with paperless visas. This has been confirmed by the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. It will take at least a year and a half to expand this project internationally. If that is possible, there is no need to present the American visa in person. Visas can be checked through the application or online systems.
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E Visa
Many countries like Cambodia, Kenya and Australia issue e-visas. Tourists can renew their visa by sending the details through e-mail while still holding their passport. But the procedures are the same when taking an e-Visa to a country for the first time. Many countries require individuals to attend a statutory interview to obtain a visa. For first-time applicants, the procedures are almost the same whether they have an e-Visa or not. Earlier visas were issued on paper, the only difference is that e-visa is paperless. Things are easier with eVisa while renewing your visa.
A visa is a travel and residence permit issued by that country for a specified period of time. This travel document is obtained through the embassies of the respective countries. Currently, if you want to get a visa, you have to apply on paper along with the application along with supporting documents and a copy of your passport. E-Visa will help to do all these tasks online and digitally.
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Electronic Visa (eVisa) or Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) information will be stored digitally. And this information will be linked to your passport number. E-Visa does not require a special sticker or passport stamp. E-Visa can be obtained through the official websites of the governments or through designated visa service providers. Many countries like Australia, Colombia, Georgia, Morocco, Malaysia, Russia and Singapore allow e-visa for tourists from India.
Digital Passport
There are countries that have already implemented e-passport or digital passport which is expected to come soon in India. Finland is the first country in the world to implement a digital passport. Finnish citizens traveling to or from London, Manchester and Edinburgh on Finnair can use the ePassport.
Biometric information of travelers will be collected in the ePassport. This information will be collated when and where needed. Often even travelers don’t know about it. E-passport will help make travel easier and faster. Many airports allow e-Passport holders to easily clear security checks.
Apart from India, many countries such as America, UK, Poland and South Korea are moving ahead with efforts to make passports digital. In 2021, Singapore introduced a digital health passport called HealthCerts. This was to help store the covid test information and vaccination information.
India’s ‘DG Yatra’
DG Travel Program was launched by Ministry of Civil Aviation for easy and fast travel. It is an application that helps make checks at airports easier using facial recognition technology. UTS also launched mobile application for easy booking of railway tickets. This app helps to get unreserved railway tickets, platform and season tickets. Unreserved ticketing system introduced by Indian Railways is available on Android, Windows and iOS platforms.
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To book a platform ticket through UTS, a device using the app must be within two kilometers of the railway station. Season tickets can be purchased for three, six and 12 months. According to the figures from last April to November, 14.76 crore passengers used UTS Mobile in five divisions under the Central Railway and this generated an income of Rs 161 crore. During the same period, 14.44 crore passengers used the UTS app in Mumbai division and this generated revenue of 155.86 crore.
What is the difference between a visa and a passport?
Visa and passport are two documents that are essential for traveling abroad. It is sanctioned by different governmental mechanisms for completely different goals. There is also a difference in their use. What is the difference between a visa and a passport? What are these critical travel documents used for?
Passport
In one word, passport can be described as the door to abroad. It is a travel document issued by governments for citizens. A passport is also a document that certifies the identity and citizenship of its owner. Passport is an internationally recognized document of citizenship.
A passport is essential to cross international borders. The passport will also contain the person’s name, date of birth, photograph and unique identification number. You will not be allowed to travel to foreign countries assuming you have a passport. Passport is the only identification document that can be used when traveling to foreign countries.
Read More : These three people can travel to any country without passport
Every passport has an expiry date. Validity of passport should be checked before travelling. Don’t forget that you need a passport valid for at least six months to be allowed entry to most countries.
visa
A visa is an official permission given by the government of a country to foreign travelers to enter, leave and stay in their country. Visas are issued for various purposes like work, travel and study. Depending on the country, there will be changes in the documents for the visa. Some countries grant free visas to citizens of some countries.
The duration is specifically mentioned in all visas. Visas vary from country to country in terms of processing time, fees and required documents. Some countries allow e-Visa and Visa on Arrival.
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2024-03-01 02:28:42
