Public Advisoryon Phasing Out of Handwritten Passports

Indian citizens living in India and abroad are advised to urgently replace their handwritten passports with machine-readable passports. A deadline of the 24th November, 2015 for globally phasing out of all non-Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) was set up by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Thereafter, foreign Governments may deny Visa or entry to any person travelling on a non-Machine Readable Passport.

Indian citizens residing in India and abroad and holding such passports with validity beyond 24th November 2015 are advised to apply for re-issue of their passports immediately in order to avoid any inconvenience in obtaining valid visa or international travel

For more details related to passport services, website – www.passportindia.gov.in - or the National Call Centre (1800-258-1800 - Toll Free) may be accessed. Indian citizens living abroad should visit the website of respective Indian Mission/Post.

> September 06, 2016              

Embassy of India Ashgabat, Turkmenistan