Passports to not serve as address proof?

As per the latest report your passports may no longer serve as a valid proof of address, as the External Affairs Ministry has taken a decision not to print the last page of the travel document with the address of the passport holder.

The last page of the passport includes the father or legal guardian’s name, mother’s names of the holder, spouse and their address.

As the latest MEA statement  – “As the last page of the passport would not be printed now, the passport holders with ECR (Emigration Check Required) status would be issued a passport with orange passport jacket and those with non-ECR status would continue to get a blue passport.”

The recommendations came from a three-member panel, including officials from the ministry of external affairs and the ministry of women and child development. Later the recommendations were accepted and it was 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 and will not have the address of the holder”, it said.

Various issues were examined by the panel “pertaining to passport applications including examination of where mother/child had insisted that the name of the father should not be mentioned in the passport and also relating to passport issues to children with single parent and to adopted children”, it added.

The Indian Security Press (ISP), Nasik, would design the new passport booklets in due course of time.

“Till the new passport booklets are designed, manufactured and made available to the ministry by ISP, Nashik, the passports and other travel documents would continue to be printed with the last page,” the MEA report said.

In order to avoid any rush, MEA said that the existing passports of the people would continue to remain valid till the date of expiry printed in their passport booklet.