Some Information About Passports
1)Valid passport is a very essential document for a person to depart from India.
2)There are three types of Passports.
a. Ordinary passport
b. Official passport
c. Diplomatic passport.
3)A passport authority may refuse a passport in the following cases:
a. If an applicant has been convicted by a Court during a period of 5 preceding years.
b. If any criminal proceedings are pending against said person
c. If a warrant or a summons is issued by Court against the applicant.
4)A passport authority may impound a passport in the following cases:
a.If a passport was obtained on the basis of wrong information or suppression of material information.
b.If the holder of the passport has been convicted by a Court in India, for any offence involving moral turpitude.
c.If any criminal proceedings are pending against the passport holder.
5)The Court convicting the holder of a passport for any offence under the Passport Act or the rules made hereunder may also revoke the passport or travel document.
6)There are various offences under the Passport Act which provide punishment for the violation of various provisions of the Act. It is an offence to furnish false information or ppress any material information while applying for a Passport. Similarly using passport issued to another person, allowing another person to use one’s passport are all offences under the Passport Act. Customs officers, Police officers, and Emigration officers are authorized to arrest people who commit offences under the Passport Act.
7)An ordinary passport for persons other than children below the age of 15 years, containing 36 pages or 60 pages, shall be in force for a period of 10 years or 20 years as the case may be, from the date of its issue. An ordinary passport for a child below the age of 15 years, containing 36 pages shall be in force for a period of 5 years, from the date of its issue or until the child attains the age of 15 years, which ever is earlier.
8)An application for passport may be submitted personally or through a representative carrying an authority letter, all original documents should be shown and self attested copies attached.
9)Any person having an ECR stamp put on his passport have to get a clearance from the Protector General of Emigrants,
before they leave the Country. But the passport rules specify a list of persons for whom ECR stamping is not required. These include all Gazetted governmental officials, all income tax payers, all professional degree holders, all people with educational qualification of matriculation and above, all persons above the age of 50, all children up to the age of 18 etc.