Passport: The Government of India has instituted a requirement for a birth certificate to obtain a passport. This change is a result of amendments to the Passport Rules of 1980, stipulating that the sole document accepted as proof of date of birth for individuals born after October 1, 2023, will be the Birth Certificate issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths, the Municipal Corporation, or any other designated authority.
Official notification from the Ministry of External Affairs
An official notification from the Ministry of External Affairs, dated February 24, 2025, confirmed that these amendments were made under Section 24 of the Passport Act of 1967. The Passport Amendment Rules of 2025 will take effect upon their publication in the official gazette.
This date is important
According to these rules, only birth certificates issued by the ‘Registrar of Births and Deaths or Municipal Corporation or any other authority under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1969’ will be accepted as valid proof of date of birth for individuals born on or after October 1, 2023. Conversely, individuals born prior to this date may present alternative documents as proof of their date of birth. Acceptable documents include transfer or matriculation certificates from recognized schools or educational boards that display the applicant’s date of birth, as well as a Permanent Account Number (PAN) card issued by the Income Tax Department, service records of government employees, pension orders for retired government employees, driving licenses issued by state transport departments, Election Photo Identity Cards from the Election Commission of India, and policy bonds from Life Insurance Corporations of India or public companies.
Media reports indicate that the passport rules regarding birth certificates had not been updated for an extended period, as it was common for applicants, particularly from rural areas, to lack birth certificates.