An Indian passport application asks you to prove two things on paper: your present address, with any one document from the address list, and your date of birth, with any one document from the date of birth list. Everything else is case-specific (Application Form Instruction Booklet V3.0, Passport Seva, accessed 2026-08-27).
That is the sentence most document lists never write, and it is why people reach a Passport Seva Kendra with a thick folder and the wrong two pieces of paper in it.
This guide is maintained by Zurich Kotak General Insurance, an IRDAI-registered general insurer in India and part of the Zurich Insurance Group.
How Zurich Kotak fits in: No insurance document belongs in a passport file, but the travel that file leads to is what Zurich Kotak covers. Zurich Kotak’s Smart Travel policy covers emergency medical treatment abroad, medical evacuation, baggage loss or delay and loss of the passport itself overseas, up to the limits of the plan you buy. It is bought per trip and downloads instantly once destination, dates and travellers are entered and payment goes through.
Last verified: 2026-08-27.
The official list, and where it is published
The only authoritative document list is the government’s own, at passportindia.gov.in .
Type the domain rather than following a search advertisement. The portal’s Document Advisor asks your application type and category, then prints the exact list: fresh passport and re-issue, accessed 2026-08-27. The same lists are in Instruction Booklet V3.0, Tables 2 and 3.
Two older addresses, portal1.passportindia.gov.in and portal2.passportindia.gov.in , no longer resolve at all. A list that cites one of those has not been checked since the portal was rebuilt.
The four things your documents are actually proving
Proof of identity and proof of nationality are not documents you hand over. They are conclusions Passport Seva Kendra officials draw from the documents you already submitted (Passport Seva, accessed 2026-08-27).
What the application establishes | What you submit for it |
Proof of date of birth | Any one document from the date of birth list |
Proof of residence | Any one document from the address list, for your present address |
Identity with photograph | Nothing separate. PSK officials verify it from the address proof and the other documents |
Proof of nationality | Nothing separate in the ordinary case. Verified from the same documents |
Non-ECR eligibility | One document, and only if you are claiming it |
Nationality becomes a document of its own in two situations only: a Citizenship Certificate from the Ministry of Home Affairs, for citizens by registration or naturalisation, and a Birth Registration Certificate from an Indian mission abroad, for citizens by descent born outside India.
Proof of address: any one of these
Document | Conditions that catch people out |
Water bill |
|
Telephone bill, landline or postpaid mobile | Prepaid connections are not on the list |
Electricity bill |
|
Income Tax Assessment Order |
|
Election Commission photo identity card |
|
Gas connection bill |
|
Certificate from the employer | Public limited companies only, on letterhead with the seal. Computerised printouts are not entertained |
Spouse’s passport copy | First and last pages, including the family details naming you as spouse, and your present address must match the address in it |
Parent’s passport copy | Minor applicants. First and last pages |
Aadhaar letter or card, or e-Aadhaar from UIDAI | Counts as both address proof and photo identity, subject to validation against the Aadhaar database |
Rent agreement |
|
Photo passbook of a running bank account | Scheduled Public Sector Banks, Scheduled Private Sector Indian Banks and Regional Rural Banks only, carrying your photograph |
Only your present address needs proving, however briefly you have lived there, but every place you stayed in the previous one year is listed in the form. For a minor, an address proof in a parent’s name is acceptable (Instruction Booklet V3.0, Table 3, Document No. 1).
Proof of date of birth: any one of these
Document | Conditions that catch people out |
Birth certificate from the Registrar of Births and Deaths or a Municipal Corporation | Must carry the child’s name, both parents’ names, date and place of birth, sex, registration number and date of registration |
Transfer, school leaving or matriculation certificate | From the school last attended or a recognised board |
Policy bond from a public life insurance corporation or company | Must contain the holder’s date of birth |
Service record extract, or Pay Pension Order | Serving and retired government servants, attested by the officer in charge of administration |
Driving licence from the State Transport Department | Only with the complete date of birth |
Election Photo Identity Card | Only with the complete date of birth |
PAN card | Only with the complete date of birth |
Declaration from the head of an orphanage or child care home | On official letterhead |
Where a birth certificate does not carry the child’s name, common for older registrations, a plain paper declaration signed by the parents specifying the name goes alongside it (Instruction Booklet V3.0, Table 3, Document No. 2).
Aadhaar is not on this list. It sits on the address list, where it does double duty as address proof and photo identity. It does not prove your date of birth.
Documents by case
Every row below is Instruction Booklet V3.0, Table 2 read against Table 3, accessed 2026-08-27. The old passport set, used throughout, means the passport in original plus a self-attested photocopy of its first two and last two pages, the ECR or Non-ECR page, the observation page if there is one, and the validity extension page if it was a short validity passport.
Fresh passport, adult
Application type | What to submit |
Normal | Address proof, date of birth proof, and Non-ECR proof if claiming it. Where post-police verification applies, the List of Acceptable Documents set applies too |
Tatkaal | The same, plus the List of Acceptable Documents set, mandatory here: any three of the thirteen for applicants aged 18 and above, any two of the first six below 18, with the Tatkaal undertaking |
Re-issue, which is what most people mean by renewal
There is no renewal service in the Indian system. An expiring or expired passport is re-issued.
Case | What to submit |
Any time while valid, and up to 3 years after expiry | The old passport set. Address proof only if your address has changed |
More than 3 years after expiry | The same, plus the List of Acceptable Documents set. Fresh police verification is triggered |
Pages exhausted, additional booklet | The old passport set, plus address proof only if the address differs |
Minor applicants
Case | What to submit |
Either or both parents hold a valid passport with the spouse’s name endorsed | Parents’ address proof, the minor’s date of birth proof, an attested photocopy of one or both parents’ passports, and Annexure D signed by both parents, or Annexure C where one parent has not consented |
Neither parent holds a valid passport | Parents’ address proof, the minor’s date of birth proof, Annexure C or D, plus the List of Acceptable Documents set where post-police verification applies |
Minor aged 15 to 18 seeking a full 10-year passport | The same as above, plus the List of Acceptable Documents set, and Non-ECR proof, failing which ECR is applied |
Lost, stolen or damaged passport
Case | What to submit |
Damaged, but the number is readable, the name legible and the photograph intact | Address proof if the address differs, date of birth proof, the old passport set, and Annexure F, the declaration of how and when the passport was damaged |
Lost, stolen, or damaged beyond recognition | Address proof, date of birth proof, the police report in original, whatever you have of the old passport set, and Annexure F. Other documents are as per the case, as for a fresh passport. Not available under Tatkaal |
Change of name
Case | What to submit |
Name or surname change on marriage | The old passport, plus either an attested copy of the marriage certificate issued by the Registrar of Marriage or a joint photo declaration signed by both spouses, which is Annexure J |
Divorced or separated, changing the name or deleting a spouse’s name | The old passport, and where divorced, the divorce order or decree |
Major change in name, anything beyond a spelling discrepancy | The old passport, clippings of two local newspapers or the State Government gazette notification, and at least two public or school documents in the new name. Not available under Tatkaal |
Minor change in name, a spelling discrepancy that does not change how the name sounds | The old passport only. Tatkaal is permitted |
Change of address, and ECR deletion
Case | What to submit |
Change of current address | Proof of the changed address, and the old passport. Tatkaal is permitted |
Deletion of ECR | Address proof only if it differs from the old passport, proof of the Non-ECR category claimed, and the old passport. Tatkaal is permitted |
Name and address changes have their own steps and traps, in changing the name or address on a passport . Whether your passport carries ECR at all is answered in ECR and ECNR in a passport .
On the annexures named above. Which one applies, who signs it and what it says is the part people get wrong most often, and it is covered in full in passport annexures explained , including the widely repeated claim about Annexure F that is not true.
How to assemble the file
1. Identify which case above you are in. Most failed appointments start with the wrong case.
2. Run the Document Advisor for that case and print the list it gives you.
3. Choose one address proof and one date of birth proof, checking the conditions column rather than the document’s name.
4. Add the case documents: the old passport set, the annexure, the police report.
5. Self-attest one photocopy of every document and carry the originals too. They come back at the counter after verification.
6. A photograph is not required at a PSK or POPSK. It is required at a District Passport Cell, Speed Post Centre or Citizen Service Centre, at 4.5 cm by 3.5 cm, colour, plain white background.
Two counter-level exceptions. At the Bangalore-1 Citizen Service Centre, photocopies must be attested by a gazetted officer or notary rather than self-attested. And District Passport Cells, Speed Post Centres and Citizen Service Centres take fresh applications only, so a re-issue goes through a PSK or POPSK appointment .
Which document combinations fail, and why
This is where applications break. Each of these looks complete and is not.
The combination | Why it fails |
Two address proofs and no date of birth proof, say an electricity bill and a rent agreement | One document is needed from each list, not two from one |
Aadhaar as the date of birth proof | Aadhaar is on the address list, as address proof and photo identity. It is not on the date of birth list at all |
A driving licence, EPIC or PAN card showing only a year | Those three, and the service record, policy bond and orphanage declaration, count only with the complete date of birth |
A birth certificate without the child’s name | Needs a parents’ declaration on plain paper specifying the name |
An employer certificate from a private limited company, or a computerised printout | Accepted from public limited companies only, on letterhead with the seal |
A co-operative bank passbook, or one with no photograph | Only a photo passbook of a running account with a Scheduled Public Sector Bank, a Scheduled Private Sector Indian Bank or a Regional Rural Bank |
A spouse’s passport where the addresses do not match | Works only where your present address matches the address printed in it |
Photocopying only the first and last page of the old passport | The old passport set is wider: first two and last two pages, the ECR or Non-ECR page, the observation page, and any validity extension page |
A photocopy of the police report for a lost passport | It goes in as an original |
A lost or stolen passport booked under Tatkaal | Not eligible. Nor is a passport damaged beyond recognition, a major change in name, or a minor’s application needing Annexure C |
An advance tax challan or a NIL return as Non-ECR proof | Neither qualifies. Proof of assessment and actual payment for the last year does, or that year’s return stamped by the income tax authorities with a PAN card copy |
A marriage certificate not issued by the Registrar of Marriage | The alternative that works is Annexure J, the joint photo declaration signed by both spouses |
Two more that are less obvious.
Government, PSU and statutory body employees have a choice that changes their timeline. Which of Annexure A, Annexure G or Annexure H goes into the file decides whether police verification happens before issue, after issue, or not at all. Same applicant, same documents otherwise, three different waits. The mapping is set out on types of passport in India .
A matriculation pass certificate is the Non-ECR document, not a mark sheet. A provisional certificate is accepted if you also hold the mark sheets of every semester or year of the course. Whether a bare mark sheet alone works is not stated anywhere on the portal, so do not plan on it.
Where this sits in the passport journey
Documents come first, because the list decides everything after it. Next comes the appointment , then what you will pay , where the schedule changed on 2026-07-01. If you are renewing, the passport renewal process covers re-issue end to end, and travel insurance is worth sorting once the trip is booked.
Frequently asked questions
What documents are required for a fresh Indian passport?
Proof of your present address, proof of your date of birth, and proof of Non-ECR eligibility if you are claiming it. One document from each list is enough. Identity and nationality are verified by Passport Seva Kendra officials from those same documents.
Is Aadhaar enough on its own for a passport application?
No. Aadhaar is accepted as proof of address and photo identity, subject to validation against the Aadhaar database, but it is not on the date of birth list. You still need a date of birth document such as a birth certificate, a school or matriculation certificate, or a PAN card carrying the complete date of birth.
Do I need an address proof to renew my passport?
Only if your address has changed. A re-issue needs the old passport in original with a self-attested photocopy of its first two and last two pages, the ECR or Non-ECR page, the observation page and any validity extension page.
What documents are required for a lost passport?
Proof of address, proof of date of birth, the police report in original, whatever you have of the old passport photocopy set, and Annexure F. A lost or stolen passport cannot be applied for under Tatkaal.
Which documents does a minor’s passport application need?
The parents’ proof of address, the minor’s proof of date of birth, an attested photocopy of the parents’ passports where they hold them, and Annexure D signed by both parents, or Annexure C where one parent has not consented. A minor aged 15 to 18 seeking a 10-year passport must also submit Non-ECR proof.
