Passport Services

Overview

In compliance with the regulations of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), only machine readable printed passports are now to be accepted for international travel.

A new passport needs to be obtained where the existing Passports have run out of available pages for visas etc. A new passport can be issued one year before final expiry or on final expiry of any passport issued for full validity of 10 years (5 years in the case of minors).

NB: All applicants are required to be present at the Visa Application Centre for individual processing of applications.

Reference instructions regarding issue/re-issue of Passports to Indian citizens:

• A New / fresh Police Verification Report is mandatory for all cases of issue/re-issue of Passports and in certain cases passports will be issued/re-issued only after receipt of fresh Police Verification Report from the Indian authorities.

The following categories of applicants applying for fresh/re-issue of Passports may please be asked to submit documentary proof in support of such claim:

1. Applicants who have been resident abroad (outside India) continuously for over 5 years and hold a Permanent Residence / Work Permit / Green Card or Permanent Visa;
2. Application in respect of minors for a 5-year valid passport where the minor is born abroad and never resided in India during the preceding five years when application for re-issue is submitted by both parents along with Annexure 'D'; and
3. In case of application in respect of minors for fresh/re-issue of passport, the parent(s) need to submit an undertaking that the child has not acquired any foreign passport or foreign citizenship and that on acquiring of foreign citizenship, the Indian passport will be surrendered.

Cases of passport re-issue can be considered as follows:

• If there are insufficient pages in the current passport / passport is lost or damaged
• the validity of visa/ resident card has also expired
• If the passport is expired and the visa/resident card is valid
• If adding / deleting spouse name / change of name subsequent to marriage/divorce death of spouse etc.
• If the applicant has changed their signature or any change of address
• If the applicant has changed their appearance
• Apply for reissue of passport prior to Visa/permit expiring.
• In case for lost passport, applicant to be present for submission mandatorily.

Applicants should apply as per the jurisdictions mentioned below.

Visa Fees

Your payment allows you to deposit an application. The latter can be accepted, refused or modified by the High Commission of India in its full right. Once fees have been paid, they cannot be refunded, even in a case of an application refusal or cancellation.

Modes of payment – No EFT’s Payments are accepted at VFS Centres.

• Credit Card or Debit Card at the centre.
• Cash Deposits into the below bank account:
  
  

  Name of Bank: Nedbank

  Account Number: 1012505804

  Branch Code: 198 765

  Account Name: VFS Visa Processing SA Pty Ltd

Please use passport number as beneficiary reference number on payment.

Revised Passport, Travel Document and Consular Services Fee effective from 1st April 2025

Click here for Visa fees chart

Documents Required

Kindly print the check list which corresponds with the service you wish to apply for and attach it with your application. It must be filled in and signed. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Print Passport Issue/Re-Issue Checklist

Photo Specifications

Photographs should be in colour and strictly as per the specifications below.

• Un-mounted - 2 inch x 2 inch in size.
• Face should cover about 70 to 80% of the photo area.
• Frame Subject with Full Face, Front view, Eyes open
• Taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance.
• The photographs must be clear, well defined and taken against a plain white background.
• Appropriate brightness and contrast showing your skin tones naturally
• Even lighting (no shadows across or behind the face)
• Face must be square to the camera with a neutral expression, neither frowning nor smiling and with your mouth closed.
• If you must wear a head covering for religious reasons, make sure your full facial features are not obscured.
• Non-tinted prescription glasses are allowed as long as your eyes are clearly visible. Make sure that the frame does not cover any part of your eyes. Sunglasses are not acceptable.
• Headphones, wireless hands-free devices, or similar items are not acceptable in your photo.
• Photograph for Child/babies - The photograph should show the baby or child awake, looking straight at the camera with mouth closed and nothing covering the mouth. It should also show both edges of the face clearly (no toys, blankets, chair backs or other people visible) and no hair across the eyes.

Please Note:

A photo service is available in all of our centres.

Processing Time

The High Commission of India / Consulate and VFS Visa Processing SA Pty Ltd cannot, in any circumstances, be held responsible for any applications which are not completed in time for your intended date of departure. Kindly note that obtaining a passport is not automatic; your application may be accepted, modified or refused by the High Commission of India / Consulate in its full right.

Applications processed individually

Each application is processed individually by the High Commission of India / consulate: as a result processing times may vary between applications that appear to be similar. It is particularly frequent for families and groups who have submitted their applications simultaneously to receive their passports with a few days gap.

Minimum processing times

The company VFS Visa Processing SA Pty Ltd has no influence over the processing times of a passport application: these depend essentially on the High Commission of India. We are therefore not in a position to guarantee maximum processing times. We are only able to communicate minimum processing times, provided for information purposes only.

The High Commission of India / consulate reserves the right to withhold any application submitted for an in-depth examination

For locating the centres at above mentioned locations as per the jurisdiction and for timing of submission of the application kindly refer contact us.

Download Forms

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

Link: Click Here

Important Notice: All applying in the Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town offices are required to use the link https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in to complete the online application form for Passport and PCC applications.

The Government of India has now introduced the Online Registration Form for all overseas Indian nationals seeking passport services. The procedure would now enable the Indian nationals residing overseas to obtain printed passports.

As a private outsourcing partner of the High Commission of India, Pretoria, VFS Visa Processing SA Pty Ltd has no influence over the content of the website or the form and are not in a position to modify its content or structure.

Instructions to fill in the online application form Click Here

Step 1:

Select “Online Registration Form”

Step 2:

Choose Mission: as per the jurisdictions mentioned below

Step 3:

Fill details in online application form and click “Save & Continue”

Step 4:

Click “Generate PDF”

Step 5:

Take printout of the PDF File

Step 6:

Fill blank columns by blue/black pen and sign on all three pages

Step 7:

Schedule an appointment.

Kindly note it is mandatory to schedule an appointment prior to submission of any application, Please click here to schedule.

Frequent errors / Important Information

• It is recommended to note the registration number for future use.
• You should not to use any special characters or punctuation in any questions on the form: these could lead to errors during the processing of your application.
• All the details in the application form should be as per your current passport unless you are requesting some changes in them. In case of a change, new details need to be filled in and required supporting documents need to be provided as per the checklist.
• In case of a new born baby’s passport, details should be as per birth certificate and supporting documents as mentioned in the checklist.
• In case of minor, Q28 needs to be filled in by parents by printing their name and signing.
• Q29 is only for the signature / thumb impression of the applicant. In case applicant is unable to sign or provide thumb impression, Q 29 boxes need to be left blank. Parents cannot sign on behalf of the child in this column.
• Where names of people are asked (parents, grandparents, spouse) please ensure to write their full name and not just the first name or surname.
• No manual corrections should be made on the application form. In case of a mistake you will be required to fill a new form or modify the existing one online. Applicant will be responsible for any wrong entries in the application form
• It is an offence under the Passports Act, 1967 to knowingly furnish false information or to suppress material information when applying for Passport Services.
• If you observe printing mistake in your newly issued passport, please inform the centre immediately
• In all cases of re-issue of passport applications (except in lost/stolen cases, where the prescribed procedure for new passport need to be followed) last held/expired passport in original needs to be submitted along with the duly filled-in application form and other required documents. Old Passports will be returned to the applicant after cancellation along with the new passport. Valid visas in the old passport(s) are not cancelled and can be used after cancellation of the passport until the date of expiry of the visa.

• The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has set a deadline of the 24th November 2015 for globally phasing out all non-Machine Readable Passports (MRPs). From 25th November 2015 onwards, foreign Governments may deny visa or entry to any person travelling with a non-Machine Readable Passport. All handwritten passports with pasted photos earlier issued by Government of India are considered non-Machine Readable Passports. All 20-years validity passports will also fall in this category. The government started issuing Machine Readable Passports since 2001. All new Indian passports are ICAO-compliant Machine Readable Passports. Indian citizens residing in France and holding handwritten passports as well as 20-years passports with validity beyond the 24th November 2015 should therefore apply for re-issue of passports and obtain Machine Readable Passports well before the deadline, in order to avoid any inconvenience in obtaining foreign visa or immigration problems.

  Please note that if the supporting documents provided are not satisfactory, the applicant will be asked to provide more documentary evidence.

Your application may require additional documents as per your situation or the age of the applicant. You may find all the additional forms on this page.

COLLECTION OF PASSPORTS

Applicants are advised to collect their passports personally strictly upon producing their receipt at the time of application. An Authorization letter should be given to a representative to collect the passport and who is able to check all particulars in the passport. The collector must carry his/her ID and produce the same on demand. Agent/collector needs to produce an authorization letter from the applicant.

Click here for authorization letter