Explained: How to apply for your Passport

Applying for a passport in India online: What you need to know, explained in real simple language.

As you may be knowing, since you are reading this online, presumably, you can apply for a passport online and finish the main formalities before presenting yourself to the nearest Passport Seva Kendra.

It all looks so intimidating, people say. How can I know where to go, what to download, and how to fill and save and submit?

Well, relax, here I have tried to make it as simple as possible J

The first step is to locate the website!

Just type passport in Google search and viola… here it is, or click on the link here: https://portal1.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/welcomeLink

This is how it looks [as of today]

You need to register here if you are a new user, or login if you have applied here earlier. If you have forgotten your password, relax, they will send you a link to your email that you must use within two hours of your request, to change your password.

Once you log in, you must download the passport application form which is a pdf document. For this you need to do the following:

Online Form Submission

Step 1    Register through the Passport Seva Online Portal. (Click on “Register” link under the Apply section on the Home Page).

Step 2    Login to the Passport Seva Online Portal with the registered Login Id.

Step 3    Click “Apply for Fresh Passport/Re-issue of Passport” link.

Step 4    Fill in the required details in the form and submit.

Which form, you may ask!?

The form is a pdf which has blanks which you can fill is.

Download it to your PC from the link given on the website https://portal1.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/online/downloadEFormStatic

Choose the form which applies to you, either fresh, or Diplomatic etc as shown below

Version 2 is the one available after 22nd August 2014 [now] and since I had filled version 1 a few months before, I had to copy paste from that pdf to this new one which I downloaded today the 29^th of August 2014.

You need to fill in all the details accurately on your PC using adobe acrobat which is a free program for opening and editing this pdf file.

You can then save the pdf in the name of the person whose application it is or any file name of your choice. All your data will be safe in it, and you can even edit it at a later date if needed.

 

Once you have filled all the data in the pdf, you will need to go to the bottom of the pdf and click on the button shown above, the VALIDATE AND SAVE.

This will save your data in a file called xml. This is the file that you will need to upload when you apply online.

 

 

Note: Before uploading e-Form XML, please ensure that the XML has been generated using a compatible version of Adobe Reader (9 or above). We shall not be able to service your request in case the generated XML (from filled e-Form) is found to be tampered in anyway.

 

Once your xml has been uploaded, and you have confirmed the contents, clock ok and viola!

You will get this message…..

 

Once you book the appointment, you can print an application receipt and take it with you when you go to the PSK at the time selected.

Have fun applying for a passport and do let me know if you encountered any problems, or if this post helped you J

Thanks for reading!