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Easy Steps to Get a Passport for Seniors in India

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There can be a lot of reasons for senior citizens to travel abroad. It could be either to meet their children, for medical conditions or to relax after retirement. It is highly recommended to opt for overseas travel insurance, to safeguard your abroad trip. Irrespective of the reason, a senior citizen passport is needed for the same. if you do not already have one or it is up for renewal, here is all that you need to know about it.

Eligibility

Like every other Indian citizen, senior citizens who are 65 years and above can apply for a regular 10-year passport. Currently, there is no special passport for senior citizens or a passport that has been designed exclusively for elderly people.

Applying for a passport for seniors is as easy as applying for one for other people, and the steps to follow are still the same. They need to submit age-proof documents such as birth certificates, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, etc to prove their age. Ensure,

1. The person is 65 years of age and older and he/she is not a resident of Jammu and Kashmir.

2. As for the requirements for the inhabitants of Jammu and Kashmir, a woman should be at least 60 years old, and a man should be at least 65 years old.

3. Anyone who fits into any of the following groups is thought to live in the state of Jammu and Kashmir:

4. The individual was born in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

5. The person has a particular address location in Jammu and Kashmir.

6. The person resides in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Also, there is something important to keep in mind:

Employees of the Indian Government, hailing from other states but posted to work in Jammu and Kashmir are not deemed to be residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

Benefits of passport for senior citizens

Passports for senior citizens in India include certain facilities of travel insurance, international travel insurance, visa, concessions and emergencies. This also improves the senior citizen’s international travel experience.

1. Visa Application:

An Indian passport for senior citizens helps in visa processes as many countries have relatively easier visa requirements for Indian senior citizen passports. This enables having travel insurance without any hindrances across the globe.

2. Discounts:

Most such places like museums, monuments etc offer discounts for senior citizens on presenting their passport for senior citizens in India. Therefore, there are possible monetary benefits of having a passport for senior citizens in India.

3. Medical Emergency:

During travel in a foreign country in case of a medical emergency, then international travel insurance along with passport for senior citizens in India would be of great help in availing good healthcare.

Type

If you want to apply for a senior citizen passport, there isn't a different type of passport application form. The application form is the same as that of an ordinary adult passport. To download the form, you can visit the Passport Seva Kendra website. Downloading the form will allow you to fill it out with ease and without rushing. Once you are done, you can upload the form online.

Alternatively, you can visit a PSK fill out the form and submit it to get a senior citizen passport.

Application process

Passports for senior citizens in India do not have any special procedure or separate type of passport as well. Senior citizens are issued a standard passport that is valid for a duration of 10 years. The process of application involves police verification. Also, you must be physically present at the PSK to complete the verification process and it cannot be done by anyone else on your behalf. Here are the steps that you need to follow for the same.

1. Access the official PSK website and create an account.

2. Download the passport application form.

3. Fill out the application form and upload it to the portal.

4. Pay the necessary fees for applying for a new passport or renewing an existing passport.

5. Unlike a standard passport application, senior citizens do not need to book a slot and they can walk into the PSK.

6. Once you complete all the formal processes in the PSK, such as document verifications and biometric data collection, you will be issued with an ARN or Application Reference Number. You can use the ARN for any further communication.

Passport renewal for senior citizens or application for a new passport requires you to visit the PSK. Following are the official working hours of PSKs. You can schedule a visit according to the following. Another important thing to note is that all PSKs are open from Monday to Friday.

Documents required

To apply passport for a senior citizen in India, you must submit documents for the following categories.

1. Address proof

◦ Rental agreement

◦ Photocopy of the passbook of a bank account

◦ Aadhar card, PAN card or voter ID card

◦ Telephone bill, water bill, electricity bill, driving license or gas connection.

2. Age proof

◦ Any proof of date of birth

◦ Matriculation certificate

◦ PAN card, Aadhar card or voter ID card

3. Other supporting documents

◦ Property documents

◦ Pension documents

◦ Income tax assessments

◦ Freedom Fighter identity card

◦ SC, ST and OBC certificate

Passport fee

The Indian government offers some waivers and subsidies to senior citizens while applying for an Indian passport.

For a general applicant, an ordinary passport with 36 pages costs Rs 1,500 and a jumbo passport with 60 pages costs Rs 2,000, but a senior citizen gets a 36-page passport booklet for Rs 1,000. This is half the normal application fee which is a relief for many students who could not afford the usual fee. The jumbo passport also comes at a fee of Rs 1,500 for applicants who are above the age of 60 years, a fee which is lower by Rs 500 than that of the normal fee.

Besides these above-mentioned concessions in the application fee, there are some privileges that senior citizens enjoy while applying for a passport. The applicants can apply for the Tatkaal scheme without having to produce a certificate of urgency or prove the urgency of their travel. Certification of documents is also much more convenient for senior citizen applicants as compared to the past. Home ministry rules also permit walk-in submissions besides prioritized police verification for persons over 60 years of age.

Therefore, in brief, the senior citizen of India is allowed to avail of the concession of Rs 500 - 1000 on the application fees for a new Indian passport or the expired one of the special facilities of processing and submission etc.

Passport renewal

Passport renewal for senior citizens is a bit lenient as compared to other adults. For starters, senior citizen passport renewal can be done at least a year before the expiry of the current passport. And they can even renew the passport after its expiry, without any penalty.

Passport renewal for senior citizens requires the following documents.

1. The current passport is original along with the self-attested first two and last two pages of the passport.

2. Proof of address for the current address and can be any of the following.

• Telephone bill

• Electricity bill

• Water bill

• Aadhar card

• Rental agreement

• Proof of gas connection

Once the application process is complete and you receive the passport, it is only sensible to opt for a senior citizen travel insurance plan before you plan to travel abroad. The plan will safeguard your trip and protect you from any medical emergencies, loss of baggage, cancellation of trips, accidents or loss of documents as well.

Conclusion

The application for a senior citizen passport in India is quite easy. Indian senior citizens can without any difficulty apply for an Indian passport for senior citizens. With a valid passport for senior citizens in India, can then obtain international travel insurance or travel insurance to safely proceed with international travel. An Indian passport for a senior citizen means that one can now travel to foreign countries without much formalities.

FAQs

1. Is there any benefit of being a senior citizen and applying for a passport?

There isn't any different process for applying for a passport for senior citizens. They must go through the process in the same way as any other ordinary citizen. Also, there aren't any special benefits as far as the application process is concerned.

2. What is the validity of a passport for a senior citizen?

The validity of a passport for a senior citizen is the same as that of a normal citizen, at 10 years. You can either apply for a 36-page passport or a 60-page passport, depending on your travel needs.

3. What documents should a senior citizen submit for a passport?

Senior citizens must submit proof of address, proof of date of birth and any other supporting documents for the passport application process.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to the policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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