The history of passport dates back to approximately 450 BC when King Artaxerxes I of Persia issued a letter to an official named Nehemiah for travelling beyond his country to Judea, the modern day Israel.
Since then, the passport has been considered as a valid travel document, which is legal and issued by the country’s government for international travel.
In India, a passport is issued by the President of India for the purpose of international travel and serves as a legal proof of Indian citizenship as per the Passports Act (1967).
Besides, since the time of its conception, Indian passport has also been used as a valid address proof, which is accepted anywhere and everywhere, across the country.
For the major part of my life, till Aadhaar came into the picture, it was the passport which helped me to authenticate my address and existence across the nation.
However, this legendary proof of existence will soon vanish, because Govt of India is planning to create a new design of the passport, with new colours and new features.
And the causality of this newness the last page of the passport, which normally holds the address of the person.
As per the new design of the passport, the last page would be blank; and this means, the address won’t be present there. Hence, no longer the passport can be used for verifying your address.
The New Passport: No Address On The Last Page
Surendra Kumar, who is the Under-Secretary of Policy and Legal Matters at the Consular, Passport and Visa Division of the Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed this development.
He said,
“The decision to keep the last page of the passport blank has been taken”, and this has been done to keep the privacy and identity of the person secured.
The ‘next series’ of passports which would be issued will have the last page blank.
On the issue of the passport being used as address proof, there has been no comment or reaction from Ministry of External Affairs.
But What About The Address?
As of now, the last page of the passport showcases the address, while the first page has the photograph and name.
In the new series of passports, the last page would be blank because since 2012, all new passports have a barcode, and any information can be accessed by scanning that barcode.
Hence, when airport officials will be required to verify the address, they will simply scan the barcode, and hence, there is no need for the address printed on the last page.
Besides this, the colour of the passport will also undergo some minor changes.
Those who need emigration check (ECR) in the passports will now have an orange coloured passport; right now, ECR required passport was blue, along with those which don’t require ECR.
Govt. officials have a white passport, and diplomats have red passports, and this colour combination won’t change.
What About Old Passports?
You need not worry on that front. As per Passport Act of India, all passports are valid until the date mentioned there.
When it is expired, new passport will be issued, which will automatically have the new features such as new colours and blank last page.
We will keep you updated as we receive more inputs regarding the new design of the passport, which will be soon issued to all.