Tag Archives: MEA

In a written response, Kirti Vardhan Singh, MoS, External Affairs, informed the upper house that India has granted over 96 lakh e-visas to foreigners from 2020 till July 20 this year, the government informed Parliament. The number of countries eligible for the e-visa facility has increased from 171 in 2020 to 181 in 2025, she added.

Expressing concern over the prevailing political developments in Maldives, the Ministry of External Affairs issued an advisory to Indian nationals to defer all non-essential travels to Male and other atolls until further notice. It also alerted Indian expatriates in Maldives to the need for heightened security awareness. “The prevailing political developments in Maldives and the resultant law and order situation is a matter of concern for the Government of India. Indian nationals are, therefore, advised to defer all non-essential travels to Male and other atolls until further notice. Indian expatriates in Maldives are also alerted to the need for heightened security awareness, and urged to exercise due caution in public and avoid public gatherings,” the MEA said in an advisory. SOURCE: UNI

The Ministry of External Affairs has eased the process of issue of passport by allowing applicants to submit any one of their photo identification cards with date of birth (DOB) as proof of DOB. Applicants of passports can submit any one of the following documents – Birth Certificate, PAN card, school certificate, Adhaar card, driving licence, or election card, etc. as proof of date of birth. The online passport application form now requires the applicant to provide the name of father or mother or legal guardian, i.e., only one parent and not both. This would enable single parents to apply for passports for their children and to also issue passports where the name of either the father or the mother is not required to be printed at the request of the applicant. The total number of Annexes prescribed in the Passport Rule, 1980, has been brought down to 9 from the present 15. No attestation/swearing by/before any Notary/Executive Magistrate/First Class Judicial Magistrate would be henceforth necessary. Married applicants would not be required to provide Annexure K or any marriage certificate.