As per the public advisory released by MEA, Indian citizens living in India and abroad are advised to apply for urgent re-issuance of their passports in the following cases – if they have handwritten passports, their passports expire in the next 6 months, or their passports have no blank pages.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has set a deadline of the 24th November, 2015 for globally phasing out all non-Machine Readable Passports (MRPs). From the 25th November, 2015 onwards, foreign Governments may deny Visa or entry to any person travelling on a non-Machine Readable Passport.
Indian citizens residing in India and abroad and holding such passports with validity beyond the 24th November 2015 are advised to apply for re-issue of their passports well before the deadline in order to avoid any inconvenience in obtaining valid visa or international travel. Needless to mention, travel on ICAO-compliant machine readable passports will facilitate hassle-free and safe journey.
All Passport Issuing Authorities have instituted a simple and fast-track procedure for renewal of passports. For more details related to passport services, website www.passportindia.gov.in – or the National Call Centre (1800-258-1800 – Toll Free) may be accessed. Indian citizens living abroad should visit the website of respective Indian mission/Post.
