This article is written by Rishabh Pandey from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi.

Introduction

You may need to add or delete the name of your spouse, and/or change your name in the passport owing to the change in your marital status. Below is a guide on how to change your marital status in your passport.

Steps to Follow

Step 1: Login with your account credentials at the passport India website.

Step 2: The new passport is exchanged for the older one in case of the following scenarios:

• Change in existing personal particulars
• Validity expired within 3 years/ due to expire
• Validity expired more than 3 years ago
• Exhaustion of pages
• Damaged passport
• Lost passport

Therefore, in order to change the marital status in the passport of a candidate, you need to apply for re-issuance of a new passport. Select the ‘Apply for Fresh Passport/Re-issue of Passport’ option available at the ‘Applicant Home’ section after you have successfully logged in into your account. The option to reissue is available to and recommended for everyone whose case falls in the above mentioned category, if he or she had been issued a passport in past.

Step 3: You can fill the form offline and upload it or fill it up online. In order to change the marital status you need to select the ‘Change in existing personal particulars’ option, available in the form and further specify the subcategory as ‘Spouse Name’. Refer to the images below:

Step 4: Scroll down in case of the offline form or click ‘next’ in the case of online form. Thereafter, select your marital status and fill up the form accordingly. Complete all the steps and book an appointment at your preferred passport office. Visit the office on the allotted date and time along with the appointment confirmation page and the required documents.

Documents Required

Below is the list of documents required to submitted at the passport office, if you have to change the marital status in your passport:

1. To Change Marital Status on Passport After Marriage

It requires addition of spouse’s name. In case of female candidates, it also requires changing of name because of addition of a new middle name or altogether a new surname. The documents required to be submitted are:

• Document Code 8017: Old Passport in original with self attested photocopy of its first two and last pages, page of observation, ECR/non-ECR page. Along with this validity extension page, (if any), in case of short validity passport is also required.

• An attested copy of Marriage Certificate issued by the municipality or any other equivalent affidavit with evidences like joint photo, marriage card, albums etc.

• Document Code 8084 (Optional document): Photocopy of Husband’s passport, if any.

2. To Change Marital Status on Passport Following Divorce

If the spouse of an individual has expired or has been separated legally i.e. divorced, only then can he/she remove the name of the spouse. The below mentioned documents are to be submitted in case you and your spouse have divorced:

• Document Code 8017: Old Passport in original with self attested photocopy of its first two and last pages, page of observation, ECR/non-ECR page. Along with this validity extension page, (if any), in case of short validity passport is also required.

• Court certified copy of Divorce Decree or self attested copy of Divorce certificate.

3. To Change Marital Status on Passport After Remarriage

In case the candidate’s spouse dies or the candidate gets a divorce and later remarries, he/she needs to get the previous name deleted and the name of the new spouse added. In order to do so, the following documents must be presented:

• Document Code 8017: Old Passport in original with self attested photocopy of its first two and last pages, page of observation, ECR/non-ECR page. Along with this validity extension page, (if any), in case of short validity passport is also required.

• Document 8039: Death Certificate of First Marriage Spouse or Document 8039, Self attested copy of Divorce certificate.

• Optionally, you can also present a self attested photocopy of the spouse’s Passport.

4. To Change Marital Status on Passport After Separation

If you have separated from your husband or wife but have not yet got a divorce, you can still get the name of the spouse deleted from your passport. The documents that are required are:

• Document Code 8017: Old Passport in original with self attested photocopy of its first two and last pages, page of observation, ECR/non-ECR page. Along with this validity extension page, (if any), in case of short validity passport is also required.

• Court certified copy of Decree of Separation.

5. To Change Marital Status on Passport After Death of Spouse

In case of the death of your spouse, the documents required to be submitted to change your marital status are:

• Document Code 8017: Old Passport in original with self attested photocopy of its first two and last pages, page of observation, ECR/non-ECR page. Along with this validity extension page, (if any), in case of short validity passport is also required.

• Death certificate of your spouse.

Other Documents to Keep With You When You Want to Make a Change in Your Passport

Along with the aforementioned documents, one should also carry the following documents:

1. Original and self attested copy of a valid id-proof.
2. Original and self attested copy of a valid proof of residence.
3. Three recent passport size photographs.
4. In case your employment falls under the ‘Government/PSU/Statutory Body’ type, Document Code-8173: No Objection Certificate(NOC) as per Annexure ‘G’ will also be required to be submitted, according to which:

• No Objection Certificate issuing officer should attest the photograph of the applicant with his/her signature and rubber stamp in such a way that half the signature and stamp appear on the photograph and half on the certificate.
• The officer authorized to issue NOC should sign with name and stamp and must provide contact details for verification by Passport Authority.
• NOC will be valid for six months from date of issue.

5. Document Code-8174, Prior Intimation Letter (PI) (as per Annexure ‘H’): Declaration of Applicant’s Parent or Guardian, in case the passport is for a minor.
6. Document required to be submitted if you are eligible for the Non-ECR category.

Note: The documents written in italics are not mentioned to be submitted in the FAQs or ‘Document Advisor’ of the passportindia website. I advise you to keep the said documents handy to save yourself from any possible trouble.

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