The government has introduced the Passport (Amendment) Rules, 2025, which bring an important change regarding the proof of date of birth for passport applications.
A notification about this amendment has been published in the official gazette.
According to the government, the main aim of this change is to standardize the verification process of birth records across the country and make the system more reliable.
New Rule for Applicants Born After October 1, 2023
Under the new amendment, people born on or after October 1, 2023 will have to follow a new rule while applying for a passport. For these applicants, only a birth certificate will be accepted as valid proof of date of birth.
This birth certificate must be issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths, a municipal corporation, or any other authority authorized under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969.
No Other Documents Will Be Accepted
Once this rule comes into effect, no other document will be accepted as proof of date of birth for applicants born on or after October 1, 2023.
The government believes this step will encourage the use of officially recorded birth certificates and will also make the verification process simpler and more reliable.
Rules Remain the Same for Older Applicants
For people born before October 1, 2023, there are no major changes in the existing rules. These applicants can still submit any one of several documents as proof of their date of birth, just like before.
List of Accepted Documents
Applicants in this category can provide documents such as:
Birth certificate
School leaving certificate or matriculation certificate
PAN card
Driving license
Voter ID card
Service records of government employees
Insurance policy bonds issued by the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) or other public companies
Step to Strengthen the Documentation System
The government believes that this amendment will increase the credibility of documents used in passport services.
It is worth noting that the Passport Rules, 1980 were first notified in December 1980 and have been amended several times over the years.
Amendment Made Earlier in 2023
There was also an amendment to the passport rules in September 2023. The new changes are expected to strengthen the official birth registration system and make the passport application process more transparent and streamlined.
