A diplomatic passport in India is a variant of a passport that offers certain functions and benefits. However, it is a special passport limited to the diplomats of India. High-ranking government officials can get a diplomatic passport in India that offers several perks. However, there is a certain criteria to meet and even the required set of documentation is also different from a regular passport. In this blog, we will walk you through the procedure to achieve a diplomatic passport in India, the required documents, the difference between an ordinary and diplomatic passport and so on.
Table of contents
Required Documents for a Diplomatic Passport
If you want to apply for a diplomatic passport in India, then you need to meet some of the diplomatic passport requirements. The eligibility criteria include a few sets of documents that an individual needs to present to get an Indian diplomatic passport.
- Form P 1
- Form P 1(A)
- 2 Black and White Passport-sized Photograph
- PMO/Political Clearance
- Copy of the Identification Document or the Head of the Office or Applicant
- Safe Custody Certificate in case the genuine passport is in the safe custody of the department of the applicant
- Original existing official passport
- In case the applicant’s original passport is already cancelled under section PV-ll then the applicant needs to present the original cancellation certificate
Who Can Get a Diplomatic Passport?
Those individuals who meet the criteria for a diplomatic passport can get one. Check out the below-mentioned information to get a better understanding of who can get a diplomatic passport in India:
- An individual who serves in Indian Foreign Services can get a diplomatic passport in India (Branch A).
- Those individuals who serve in the Ministry of External Affairs are eligible to get a diplomatic passport Branch (B).
- In case the dependent family member (parents, spouse, son or daughter) is travelling abroad with the eligible official then which the Ministry of External Affairs recognises then only those individuals can get a diplomatic passport.
- The same family member can also get a diplomatic passport for education and a few other purposes in a different country.
- Those individuals who hold a diplomat status can get this special passport in India.
Procedure to Get a Diplomatic Passport in India
The diplomatic passport is a special passport which the consular Passport and Visa division allows from New Delhi. However, it is also possible to achieve it from the nearest passport office. Check out the below-mentioned information to get a better understanding of how to apply for a Diplomat Passport.
Step 1: Visit the official Passport Seva Portal and register yourself.
Step 2: Search for the “Apply for Diplomatic/Official Passport” link option.
Step 3: Now, fill out the form with all the required information such as name, age, details of Family and so on.
Step 4: Proceed after filling out all of the information.
Step 4: Print out the hard copy of the complete form and visit the Consular Office, in New Delhi, or you can also visit your nearest passport office.
Step 5: Carry all original documents for verification, as the executive might ask for a genuine document for verification.
Step 6: Present the form to the executive officer and he/she will assist you further.
Don’t miss It
| Passport Appointment | How to Book Passport Appointment Online? |
| Passport for Minor | How to Apply Passport for Minor? |
| Biometric Passport | What is Biometric Passport? |
| Tatkal Passport | A Complete Info about Tatkal Passport |
| Lost Passport | How to Get Lost Passport? |
| mPassport | How to Download mPassport? |
| Infant Passport | How to Apply for Infant Passport? |
| Reschedule Passport Appointment | How to Reschedule Passport Appointment? |
| Passport Rules | Passport Rules in India |
| ePassport | What is ePassport in India? |
| Ordinary Passport | How to Apply for Ordinary Passport? |
Difference Between Ordinary and Diplomatic Passports
Check out the below-mentioned tabulated data to get a better understanding of the differences between an ordinary passport and a diplomatic passport.
| Parameter | Ordinary Passport | Diplomatic Passport |
| Type | The ordinary passport is provided to ordinary civilians, including VIPs. It belongs to the type P passport segment (Here P stands for Personal)The personal passport consists of 30 or 60 pages. | The diplomatic passport is a special type of passport issued to diplomats in India. A diplomatic passport is only awarded to high-ranking government officials such as the Ministry of External Affairs.A diplomatic passport belongs to a type D passport (Here D stands for Diplomatic) |
| Colour | An ordinary passport is available in Dark Navy Blue colour. | A diplomatic passport consists of lesser pagers, about 28 in the booklet. |
| Issuing authority | Indian Government authorities. | The diplomatic is issued by the ministry of foreign affairs to a diplomat government official who is currently on office duty only. |
| Tenure | An ordinary passport has a tenure of 10 years for adults and 5 years for children below the age of 5. It needs renewal after the completion of the tenure. | This special passport is issued for five or fewer years, solely depending on the position of the applicant in the government authority. |
| Usage | An ordinary passport is used as the identity representation of an Indian citizen. The ordinary passport is used for various purposes such as travel, education, business and so on. | The diplomat passport is used for identification and also provides the access to attain international conferences. It is also used to filter diplomats for the rest.This special passport validates that the passport holder is a government official. |
To Sum Up
The diplomatic passport is a special passport that is issued only to high-ranking government officials. The eligibility criteria are also different from an ordinary passport. Moreover, the diplomatic passport benefits are more compared to the ordinary passport as this passport holder gets recognized as a highly-ranked government official. Diplomatic passport holders are given certain privileges like faster check-in and access to international conferences.
In addition, the diplomatic passport has a different tenure and the pages are relatively lesser compared to the ordinary ones.
FAQ’s about Diplomatic Passport
Q1. Is a diplomatic passport powerful?
Yes, you can consider a diplomatic passport powerful as it holds certain advantages. An individual who holds a diplomatic passport is recognized as a government official. Moreover, in some cases, it also provides access to international conferences.
Q2. Who can get a diplomatic passport?
The diplomatic passport is limited to an on-duty high-ranking government official who meets the eligibility criteria and can get this special passport.
Q3. What benefits does a diplomatic passport offer?
The diplomatic passport offers several benefits such as the diplomatic passport holder being recognised as a high-ranking government official. They are treated specially at the airport in India and in foreign countries as well. In addition, the diplomatic passport holder is not delayed in check-in due to passenger checks.
