A passport is an important document which should be updated before it expires. If you lose it, report immediately to the nearest police station and Indian Mission. A duplicate passport has a different process in the case of damaged or lost passports. Let's have a look at it.

If someone wants to get a duplicate passport in case of unprecedented cases or if it's lost, they can easily take the online or offline route to avail the same. But beforehand, one must know the documents required to apply for the same.

Here’s the process on how to apply for a duplicate passport. Visit the Passport Seva official website of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, to apply for a duplicate passport online.

Step 1: Register on the Passport Seva portal.

Step 2: Create a new account by entering all the necessary information, and then you will get a link to activate the Passport Seva account.

Step 3: Fill out the online form for a duplicate passport.

Step 4: Before submitting the form, check the details again.

Step 5: You will get an acknowledgement. Use it to track your passport application status through the Passport Seva website.

To file for a duplicate passport through an offline route one can follow the below procedure -

Step 1: Download the e-form under the Forms and Affidavits section.

Step 2: Then select whether you want a fresh passport or a reissue of an Indian passport.

Step 3: Download and print out the Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) along with the e-form.

Step 4: Fill the form with the required details such as old passport booklet number, date of birth, age, address, name, cause of reissuance of the Indian passport.

Step 5: Submit the form with documents like address proof, identity proof and old passport booklet to the passport office.

When you apply for the reissue of a passport, it needs to follow a normal process. The documents required are:

• Affidavit along with details on how the  passport got lost or damaged (Annexure ‘L’)
• No Objection Certificate (Annexure ‘M’) or Prior Information Letter (Annexure ‘N’)
• Proof of Current address - Certification from employer, telephone bill, income tax, assessment order, water bill, gas connection, Aadhaar card, Election Photo ID card, Passport copy of spouse, registered rent agreement
• FIR report
• Proof of Date of Birth - Certificate of secondary school, Birth certificate by the municipal authority.
• Photocopy of ECR and non-ECR pages of the old passport (last and first pages).
• Passport size photographs

Details mentioned in your old passport, such as passport number, place of issue, date of issue and expiry date,  should also be submitted along with the application form.

The process to apply for the reissue of a passport is the same for lost and damaged passports. Following are a few cases where you can apply for a duplicate passport:

• Damaged Passport

Damaged passports are categorised into two types:

• Partially damaged passport where the holder's name, photo, and passport number are intact or can be recognised.
• Totally damaged passport where the details are not recoverable at all.

If your passport is partially damaged, you can apply for reissue through the Tatkaal scheme. On the other hand, if your passport is completely damaged, you cannot reissue it under the Tatkaal scheme as you have to report to Passport Seva Kendra to get the passport.

• Loss of Passport 

If you lost your passport in India, file a report at the police station and also at the passport office. If you live abroad, contact the Indian Mission immediately. Apply for reissue by filling out the passport application form at the Passport Seva Kendra and submitting the necessary documents.

The re-issuance of a passport may take 7 working days where police verification is not mandatory. If police verification is needed, it may take 30 working days.

You can submit your applications under the normal scheme or Tatkaal scheme. However, the duplicate passport fees for the latter one are high. It takes around 30 days before dispatching the application. You can call on 1800 258 1800 for any queries or visit the Passport Seva portal.