For simplifying the process of passport issuance, the Central Government has removed the mandatory clause for a birth certificate from the list of documents.
“Birth certificate that specifies the date of birth is no longer mandatory and documents such as PAN card, Aadhaar card, driving license, voter ID cards, LIC policy, and matriculation certificate will suffice,” said General (retd) VK Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, while informing the Parliament.
Reportedly, the MEA has taken a few steps to ensure a better passport policy for benefiting the citizens of India.
The details of these steps are given below:-
Documents authorised as proof for Date of Birth (DOB)
According to the Passport Rules, 1980, all the applicants born on or after 26/01/1989, in order to get a passport, had to, hitherto, mandatorily submit the Birth Certificate as the proof of Date of Birth (DOB). As per the recent changes, all applicants of passports can submit any one of the following documents as the proof of DOB while submitting their passport application:
(i) Birth Certificate (BC) issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths or the Municipal Corporation or any other prescribed authority whosoever has been authorised under the Registration of Birth and Deaths Act, 1969 to register the birth of a child born in India;
(ii) Transfer/School leaving/Matriculation Certificate issued by the school last attended by the applicant.The institution should be recognised under educational board containing the DOB of the applicant;
(iii) PAN Card issued by the Income Tax Department
(iv) Aadhar Card/E-Aadhar
(v) Copy if service record or Pay Pension order for Government servants.These documents should be duly attested/certified by the officer/in-charge of the Administration of the concerned Ministry/Department of the applicant, having his DOB;
(vi) Driving licence issued by the Transport Department
(vii) Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission of India
(viii) Policy Bond issued by the Public Life Insurance Corporations/Companies having the DOB of the holder of the insurance policy.