Soon, single-parent-friendly passports

Smita Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 12

India is changing its passport rules to do away with mandatory mention of father’s name in passports—a demand being made by single mothers.

New passports, to be printed once new designs are approved, will no longer have the last page of the passport that contains information such as names of father or legal guardian, mother and spouse, as well as address, although these details will have to be mentioned in passport applications.

The decision, announced by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Friday, came on recommendation made by a three-member committee comprising Ministry of External Affairs and Women and Child Development Ministry officials.

Emigration Check Required passports—a detail up to now also mentioned in the last page—will be colour-coded orange. Non-ECR passports will remain blue.

Kumar said at a weekly press briefing on Friday: “The Ministry has examined the recommendation of the Committee in consultation with the various stakeholders, examined the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding Machine Readable Travel Documents and decided that the last page of the passport and other travel documents issued under the Passports Act, 1967 and Passport Rules, 1980, would no longer be printed”.

Speaking about the changes, Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Secretary Consular Passport Visa, said: “The process of reforms in passport seva and delivery system is an ongoing one. We are continuously trying to evolve processes easy for people and concerned authorities while we ensure that people do not face difficulty at immigration counters or with frequent address changes”. 

Existing passports would continue to remain valid till their date of expiry.

“Till such time the new passport booklets are designed, manufactured and made available to the Ministry by ISP (Indian Security Press), Nashik, the passports and other travel documents would continue to be printed with the last page,” MEA has said, although it remains unclear if the new passports would still be counted as valid address proof without the last page.