Diplomatic Passport (Maroon cover) is issued to Indian diplomats, Members of Parliament, members of the Union Council of Ministers, certain high-ranking government officials and diplomatic couriers, as well as their dependants.It is a "Type S" passport, S stands for Service. Official Passport (White cover) is issued to individuals representing the Government of India on official business, including members of the Indian Armed Forces stationed abroad.It is a "Type P" passport, where P stands for Personal. Ordinary Passport (Dark Blue cover) is issued to ordinary citizens for private travel, such as for vacation, study and business trips (36 or 60 pages).Passport laws were made strict in both the countries in 1952. The use of the passport was discontinued after the establishment of the dominions of India and Pakistan in 1947, and its bearers were entitled to opt for Indian, Pakistani or British nationality. However, the British Indian passport had very limited usage, being valid for travel only within the British Empire, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, France, Spain, Norway, Sweden and Holland. The passport was based on the format agreed upon by the 1920 League of Nations International Conference on Passports. The Indian Passport Act of 1920 required the use of passports, established controls on the foreign travel of Indians, and foreigners travelling to and within India. These passports were introduced in British India after the First World War. British protected persons of the ' princely states'). īritish Indian passport issued during the British Raj British Raj īritish Indian passports were issued to British subjects of the British Indian Empire, as well as to British subjects from other parts of the British Empire, and subjects of the British protected states in India (i.e. Approximately 65 million Indians held valid passports as of the end of 2015. In 2015, India issued about 12 million passports, a number exceeded only by China and the United States. Indian passports are issued at 93 passport offices located across India and at 197 Indian diplomatic missions abroad. The Passport Seva (Passport Service) unit of the Consular, Passport & Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs functions as the issuing authority and is responsible for issuing Indian passports on application to all eligible Indian citizens. It enables the bearer to travel internationally and serves as proof of Indian citizenship as per the Passports Act (1967). Īn Indian passport is issued by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India to Indian citizens for the purpose of international travel. Note: If the application for a new passport is made under the Tatkaal (expedited processing), the additional Tatkaal fee of ₹2,000 is to be paid in addition to the regular application fee. The front cover of a new Indian passport (2021).