Renewing Your Indian Passport and Correcting Your Date of Birth

Renewing your Indian passport and correcting any discrepancies, such as a mistaken date of birth (DOB), can be a detailed process. This guide outlines the steps to successfully complete both tasks.

Renewing Your Indian Passport Online

To renew your Indian passport, you must first apply at the official Indian Passport Application website. During the application process, you will need to submit or upload all the necessary proofs, including your DOB proof. Ensure you upload the correct date of birth proof and bring the original to the application service center (Penny Service Kedras, PSK) for verification. Your renewed passport photo will also be taken there.

Correcting Your Date of Birth in Your Passport

Passports are issued based on the documents provided at the time of application. Changing the date of birth post-issuance is rare but possible. However, the process can be challenging and is subject to various conditions and security concerns.

Applying for a Date of Birth Correction

There are rare cases where a date of birth correction is needed. If you find such a need, you must follow these steps:

Apply through the official Indian Passport Application website. Provide all necessary documents during the application. Select to modify your date of birth if prompted. Visit the PSK on your scheduled appointment date to verify documents and have a renewed passport photo taken.

Note: The PSK may reject your request due to security concerns or similarity to fraudulent activities. However, you may have more success if you can provide clear evidence of a genuine mistake.

Personal Account of a Successful Passport Date of Birth Correction

While it is challenging, there have been instances where individuals have successfully changed their date of birth. Here is the story of one user:

My actual date of birth is January 18, 19XX, but my passport mistakenly listed it as September 18, 19XX, creating a discrepancy of four months. During my initial passport application, my late father submitted a school document that contained an incorrect date of birth. My first passport issued with that incorrect date expired in 2010. I did not change the date when renewing as I had the opportunity to travel abroad on an official company-sponsored trip using that renewed passport. I traveled multiple times with the renewed passport, which eventually expired in 2020.

When I began the renewal process, I scheduled an appointment through their website and carefully filled out all the required fields. When prompted for my date of birth, I entered my actual birth date, which triggered an alert in the system when I visited the PSK on my scheduled date. All three sections of the PSK denied my request, citing security concerns.

Despite this, I continued to present evidence. I had two newspaper articles from 2016 highlighting the possibility of rectifying genuine mistakes. I also had copies of my Aadhaar and PAN identities, which reflected my correct birth date. I even had a copy of my original birth certificate, which was my strongest piece of evidence. I persisted, and the junior officer at the PSK initially refused my request but eventually referred me to the Head Passport Officer (APO1).

Initially, APO1 also refused my request but, after I presented the relevant newspaper articles, she acknowledged that my case would need to be escalated to the Regional Passport Office (RPO). I expressed my willingness to visit the RPO and present my case there.

Upon scheduling an appointment, I met with a senior officer at the RPO. After a brief QA, he took my original birth certificate, verified it, and kept a photocopy. He explained that they would cross-verify the details with the Municipal Corporation and contact me via letter. If my claim was found to be genuine, I would need to pay a penalty of 1000.

I agreed and after a month of waiting, I received a letter from the RPO confirming that my claim had been verified by the Municipal authorities. The letter informed me that my claim was genuine and that I needed to visit the RPO to pay the required penalty of 1000. I promptly visited the RPO, paid the required penalty, and within a week, I received my newly renewed passport with the correct date of birth.

I am deeply grateful to the Ministry of External Affairs for their support in this matter. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Honorable Chief Passport Officer Mr. Arun K. Chatterjee for implementing this new rule that accommodates genuine cases like mine. Thank you, Sir, God bless!

The process was smooth, transparent, and efficient, with regular SMS updates at every stage. Absolutely phenomenal!

Conclusion

While the process can be challenging, there are steps you can take to successfully renew your Indian passport and correct any discrepancies or mistakes, including your date of birth. Always be prepared to provide clear, authentic documents and be persistent in presenting your case.