Consulate General of India - Edinburgh

          Welcome to the Passport, OCI, PIO & Consular services of the Consulate General of India

          Urgent notice for all foreign nationals of Indian origin, resident in Scotland, applying for Indian visa, OCI/PIO card or other consular services .

Press Release

With effect from March 14, 2011, all individual applicants either approaching the Consulate General of India, Edinburgh for various services directly for passport, OCI / PIO Card related services and other consular services or through M/s VFS (UK) for services related to visa and surrender of passport would be required to pay an additional fee of Pound two (£ 2.00) as ‘Consular Surcharge’, in addition to applicable fees for each application. All the applicants applying through Post must pay the 'Consular Surcharge' through separate postal order in favour of Consulate General of India, Edinburgh and under no circumstances payments for seeking any service should be clubbed with Consular Surcharge Fee.  The additional fee would be duly reflected in the receipts issued to the applicant.

NOTICE

Surrender of Indian Passports

Applications for Surrender of Indian Passports are no longer received in the consulate. This service has been outsourced to the VF Services (UK) Ltd. Applicants are therefore, requested to submit their Applications in person  to the VFS center at the following address:

India Visa Application Centre

VF Services ( UK ) Ltd.

Hanover Buildings

66 Rose Street

Edinburgh EH2 2NN  

Postal Applications may please follow this link → Postal Surrender Submission

For more information, you may either email at info.inuk@vfshelpline.com or contact their call centre 09057570045.

You may also access their link for detailed information –

http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/surenderind_pass.html

Under Indian law, Persons of Indian Origin, who have acquired foreign citizenship, are required to surrender their Indian passports to the nearest Indian Mission/Post immediately after acquisition of foreign citizenship.  Persons of Indian Origin who have already acquired foreign citizenship till 31.5.2010 are required to surrender their passports whether valid or expired to the respective Indian Mission. They will now have to pay £14/-(Pound fourteen) only towards Miscellaneous service charge and would not be required to pay any fee under Citizenship Act. However, those Indian citizens who acquire foreign citizenship from 1.6.2010 onwards will have to pay Rs.7,000/- (to be collected  in local currency at official rate of exchange fixed by Government of India from time to time) along with a declaration of renunciation of their Indian Citizenship. The information regarding applicable fee could be viewed at www.mha.nic.in/uniquepage.asp?ID_PK=77.

2.  The Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, does not allow dual citizenship.  Holding Indian passport/acquiring Indian passport/travelling on Indian passport after acquisition of foreign citizenship constitutes an offence under the Indian Passport Act, 1967, and attracts penalties.  The Government of India has prescribed imposition of penalty on a graded scale, depending on number of trips made on Indian passport after acquiring foreign nationality, for the violation of Passport Rules and retention of Indian Passport for more than 3 years after acquiring of foreign nationality. The fee structure is as given below:-

*The fee/penalty will be collected at official rate of exchange fixed by the Government of India for each month and rounded off to the next number.

3.  In view of these provisions, persons / foreign nationals of Indian Origin, resident in Scotland intending to apply for OCI/PIO Cards or other consular services, should surrender their Indian passports and then apply for these services. In case they do not have the Indian passports in their possession for any reason (loss/misplacement/submission to Home Office long time back, etc.), they are required to furnish duly notarised affidavit in this regard. If the Indian passport is still valid but has been misplaced/lost, then Police report should be submitted additionally (to rule out any misuse). At the time of filing their application for PIO/OCI, the fee of Rs.7000/- will be charged from those applicants who acquired foreign nationality w.e.f. 01/06/2010.

4.  Persons of Indian Origin applying for Indian visa for the first time after acquiring foreign nationality are required to first renounce/surrender their Indian passports. The surrender certificate will be issued in 3 to 4 weeks. Penalty cases would take more time and additional fee. [This time limit is only indicative and not a commitment.]

5. Instances of wrong practices have come to notice wherein applicants have cut the corners of their passports and stamped these as cancelled to avoid penalties under Indian Passport Act. Besides permanent denial of service, such acts may attract criminal prosecution for tampering with the Indian Passport.

6. Instances have also been noticed wherein Indian passports are being falsely shown as lost to avoid penalties. Affidavits too are being falsely filed in support of such frauds. Consulate is obliged to check the authenticity of all claims of `passport lost’ by verifying it with immigration records as also records available with the Consulate. False information on this count may lead not only to permanent denial of service but also criminal prosecution under Indian Passport Act.

To download surrender application click below 

*******************************************************************

Passports and Consular timings for enquires

All applicants may please note that telephonic enquires relating to passports and consular services will be attended to only between

14 30 hrs to 16 00 hrs Monday to Friday.

          For Faster processing of Passport applications,Applicants can now apply online and submit in person or by post,Appointments not required at present,Applying Online first helps with clearing passports quickly and avoid mistakes with names.

Please check the list below to ascertain your place of submission of applications.

Jurisdiction

Applicants living in other counties or Northern Ireland may submit their applications  to the HCI London.

http://hcilondon.in/

BEGINNING FROM 27TH AUGUST 2007, CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA, EDINBURGH HAS STARTED ISSUING MACHINE READABLE PASSPORTS (MRPs). 

THESE MRPs WILL BE PRINTED AT A CENTRAL PRINTING UNIT IN NEW DELHI, AFTER THE APPLICATION IS PROCESSED IN THE CONSULATE AND ELECTRONIC DATA TRANSMITTED TO THE CENTRAL PRINTING UNIT.

HOWEVER, IT  MUST BE ENSURED THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS (4 NOS) SUBMITTED BY THE APPLICANT SHOULD BE SQUARE, OF SIZE 51MM x 51MM ( see below for photo specimen) AND SIGNATURE OF SIZE 1.5 CM x 4.5 CM AS THESE ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ELECTRONIC PROCESSING. SIGNATURE IN BOX ONLY.

APPLICATIONS NOT COMPLYING WITH THESE STANDARDS WILL BE OUT RIGHTLY REJECTED, OR DELAYED.

For your own convenience, to save time and avoid delays you are advised to complete the Indian Passport application form online.

TO APPLY ONLINE CLICK HERE          http://passport.gov.in/nri/     

After applying online you have an option to submit hard copy of duly filled in and signed application along with fees and required additional documents in person or by post with a self-addressed special delivery stamped envelope for return of the passport.

 Application forms for the Passport and Consular services can be submitted to the Consulate on working days between 9.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. or by post. There is no need for any appointment for submitting passport application to the Consulate.  As each application is a different case, family applying together will not be able to get passports renewed all at the same time. Applicants are advised to give a Special delivery stamped envelope for return of passport after application is processed for each applicant. Also make sure to apply well in advance before expiry date to ensure passport processed in time. Processing time for issue of passports vary from four to six weeks. Some cases may take longer. Applicants who wish to collect their passports will be informed by phone when the passport is ready. In case of collection on behalf of applicant other than head of family, authority letter from the holder of passport is required. Application forms have to be filled in block letters with black pen only. Signatures or thumb impression in the required boxes. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. 

More information can also be browsed at www.hcilondon.net & http://www.cgibirmingham.org/ 

WARNING: It is an offence to knowingly furnish false information or to suppress material information when applying for Passport services.

Re-issue of Passports

A new passport can be issued on the expiry, or up to one year before expiry, of any passport, which had an initial validity of 10 years. It is necessary to have a valid visa on the previous passport. To apply for a new passport, you need to fill out the application form along with four latest identical photographs size 51mm x 51mm. (attestation or signatures on back not necessary) copies of your passport and address proof by way of utility bill, phone bill or any other proof. If your marital status has changed,  marriage certificate and spouse's passport along with photocopies are also required. You also need to enclose your current or recently expired passport (in case your latest passport is an additional booklet issued to the original passport, you are also required to submit all the additional booklets plus the original passport) and the fee of £27.00 if you want an ordinary 36 pages passport or £ 34.00 if you want a jumbo 60 pages passport. If all the pages of your passport have been exhausted, then also you will be issued a new passport of ten years validity from the current date for a fee of £27.00. This will also apply for all other cases like 'change in appearance, name, date of birth, place of birth, signatures etc.', where a new passport  is required. Payment can be made in cash (exact change to be tendered) at the counter or by postal order in favour of the Consulate General of India, Edinburgh. Cheques are not accepted. All original documents must be accompanied with a photocopy.

In case more than one year has elapsed since the expiry of the passport you will also need to submit an affidavit in the prescribed format stating that you have not acquired British Nationality and a letter form the British Home office confirming the same. follow this link for the requirement»»»»»»»»»»»»»» http://ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/nonacquisitionbritishcitizenship

Passports for children born in the UK

Children's name are no longer entered on their parent's passport. For a child to be given an Indian passport he/she must have been registered with the Consular Section of the Consulate General of India within one year of birth. To apply for issue of a new passport to a child, you must fill out the application forms for a new passport and registration of birth with the Consulate as an Indian Citizen along with four latest identical 51MM x 51MM size photographs. The child's thumb impression and signatures of both the parents are required on the passport application. You also need to enclose passports and valid visa pages of both parents, marriage certificate, address proof and the child's birth certificate (full version), along with  photocopies. The fee for this service is £47.00.

Miscellaneous Service on existing valid passports

Miscellaneous Service is addition or amendment to the existing passport such as grant of 'Emigration Clearance Not Required (ECNR), deletion of child/children's name from the mother/father's passport, change of present/permanent address, inclusion/deletion of spouse's name, change of surname subsequent to marriage etc. or any other observation required in the existing passport regarding the personal/passport particulars. For Miscellaneous Service, you will need to fill out the Miscellaneous Service application form, along with two latest identical photographs. You will also need to enclose your current validity passport and document (original plus one photocopy) in support of the required service. The fee for each Miscellaneous Service is £ 7.00.

 Emigration Clearance Not Required [ECNR] is no longer required and thus not printed or stamped in new passports.

Change in appearance

If your appearance has changed significantly since your last passport was made, you can apply for a fresh passport with your recent photographs. You will need to fill out the passport application form, along with four identical 51MM x 51MM photographs and copy of address proof. You will also need to enclose your current passport and an affidavit in the prescribed format, attested by a Notary Public.

Reissue of passports to minors (A child below 18 years of age is a minor)

Due to change in appearance, passports to children below 15 years of age are issued for a period of five years. For reissue of the same, duly filled-in passport application form with four recent (51MM x 51MM)  photographs, photocopies of  first page, photo page, last page and other pages of passports having any observations and valid UK visa pages of applicant and  both the parents are required.  A copy of address proof  of parents is also required. All the photocopies must be self-attested by both the parents and should match with signatures on their respective passports. The fee is £17.00 by cash at the counter or by postal order only. This is till the child reaches 15 years, thereafter a full validity passport of ten years will be issued for which the fee is £27.00 and requirement of the documents is the same as for children between 15 and 18 years. Signature or thumb impression of the child (in case of male child left thumb and female right thumb impression) may be provided at the relevant places of signature of the child in the application beside the declaration in the form must be signed by both the parents. If sending by post, a special delivery self-addressed stamped envelope may be provided for return of passport after processing.

Change of name subsequent to marriage / Change of name

If your surname has changed subsequent to marriage and you want a new passport you will need to fill out the form along with four latest identical  51MM x 51MM  photographs. You also need to enclose your current passport, your original marriage certificate and your spouse's passport along with photocopies. Please check the fee below.

In case you do not want a new passport, you can also apply for an observation to be entered in your existing passport regarding your change of surname. For this you need to fill out the Miscellaneous Services Form and the fee is £7.00. The documentary requirements are the same as those mentioned above.

In case you wish to change your first name/surname or both, you will be required to place advertisements to that effect in a prominent daily newspaper of the areas of your residence in the UK and in India. You would be required to submit these advertisements (newspaper page) along with an affidavit in the prescribed format attested by a Notary Public.  

Sworn Affidavit for Parents living in UK who are applying for their children’s passports in India 

The applicant has to visit the Consulate personally between 9.30 and 12.30. The documents required for this service are original passport along with photocopy, address proof and a photograph. Fee for this Service is £8.00. Application form may be downloaded from our website. 

Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)

Police Clearance Certificates/Certificates of Character are sometimes required by many foreign governments for considering applications for residential status or employment. Indian Passport holders residing in Scotland may apply for PCC in the Consulate General of India, Edinburgh. Application form may be downloaded from our website and completed form, current Indian Passport with photocopy and two photographs may be submitted personally or by post. Fee for this service is £15.00. In case of postal application, a postal order in favour of the Consulate General of India, Edinburgh and a pre-paid, Self Addressed Special Delivery envelope for returning the documents may please be enclosed.

British / other Nationals residing in Scotland who require Police Clearance Certificate for the period of their stay in India may also apply. The procedure is the same as above. They also have to provide  legible photocopies of their passport(s) along with pages containing Visa(s) and immigration stamps.

Issue of duplicate passports in lieu of damaged or lost passports

In case you are resident in UK, you will, in addition, have to supply an affidavit and a letter from the British Home Office certifying non-acquisition of British nationality. Proof of legal stay permission in UK is also required. The fee for an ordinary 36 pages passport is £84.00 and £94.00 for a 60 pages Jumbo passport. 

To apply for Confirmation of the non-acquisition of British citizenship click here  http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/nationality/an1

For the cost of the above click here http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/britishcitizenship/applying/cost/

To send the form to the home office click here http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/contact/contactspage/?item=115106

                                                              *************************************************

Processing of Death Certificate for Transporting a Dead Body of an Indian National to India.

1. Death Certificate, indicating cause of Death.
2. Certificate from Forensic Medicine that the death was not due to any infectious disease.
3. Certificate from Procurator Fiscal that there are no circumstances which could render necessary any further examination of the remains and that the removal of the body of the deceased out of Scotland for disposal by burial or cremation.
4. Certificate by funeral Director that the coffin containing the remains of the deceased has been hermitically sealed and contains no items other than the deceased’s body and necessary packing.
5. Embalming certificate that the body has been properly embalmed.
6. Police certificate in case of   unnatural death of the deceased.
7. Letter from the nearest relative stating that the body is being transported to India at their request.
8. Original Indian passport of the deceased for cancellation and return.

All the aforesaid documents have to be submitted to the Consulate General of India in Edinburgh, in original and will be returned after attestation.

A separate certificate will also be issued by the Consulate.

No fee will be charged for the above service.

                                                              **************

FOR ALL SERVICES PAYMENTS TO BE MADE IN CASH AT THE COUNTER OR BY POSTAL ORDER IN FAVOUR OF  CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA, EDINBURGH.

FOR RETURN OF PASSPORTS AND ALL OTHER SERVICES A SPECIAL DELIVERY SELF ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE  MAY BE PROVIDED. 

For all services address proof in Scotland is required.

In case of collection on behalf of Applicant other than family member, authority letter is required from the holder of Passport.

 PHOTOGRAPH  REQUIREMENTS  

   For New Indian Passports & OCI Applications

PLEASE SEE THE REQUIREMENT ABOUT THE SPECIMEN PHOTOGRAPH AND SIGNATURE AS SHOWN IN THE ILLUSTRATION BELOW SINCE MANY APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN REJECTED BECAUSE THE FORMAT IS NOT BEING FOLLOWED: 

          2 inch x 2 inch  (51mm x 51mm)

               

 DO NOT STAPLE the photograph.

THE PHOTOGRAPH MUST SHOW FULL FRONT VIEW OF THE PERSON’S HEAD AND SHOULDERS.

THE ABOVE PHOTO IS A SAMPLE. BACKGROUND CAN BE ANY  LIGHT COLOURS.

Applicants should follow these guidelines before pasting the photographs to the form:

1. Face should be in the center.

2. Face area should not be big or small as compared to the photo.

3. Top of the head should not be cut.

4. The face should not be too bright  or too dark– should not have too much light falling on the face.

5. There should not be too much colour on the face.

6. Clarity of the image should be there.

7. If wearing glasses or spectacles, glare/light should not be falling on the glasses.

8. Facial features should be clearly visible.

9. No shadow should be falling on the face.

10. No shadow should be falling at the background.

11. Do not wear any white/light coloured clothing as it blends with light background.

12. Light should not be reflecting on the hair.

13. Child photographs EYES should be open.

NOTE: HOME PRINTED / DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.

The signature of the applicant should be WITHIN AND IN THE CENTER of the Signature box of the Application form. For children who cannot sign or write their name, left hand THUMB IMPRESSION must be put within the signature box. Make sure it is DARK PRINT. Parents should not sign for children in the signature box. 

Photographs for various services are as follows:

1)  New Indian Passports   4 per applicant.   as mentioned above.

2)  OCI new applicants      4 per applicant.   as mentioned above.

3)  OCI Misc services        2 per applicant.   as mentioned above.

4)  Duplicate Passports      8 per applicant.    as mentioned above.

For the following other services normal photographs are accepted.

1) Power of Attorney               2 photos per applicant.

2) Attestation                           2 photos per applicant.

3) Sworn Affidavit                    2 photos per applicant.

4) Police clearance certificate    2 photos per applicant.

5) ETD application                    6 photos per applicant.

6) Misc. Services                      2 photos per applicant.

7) PIO application                     4 photos per applicant. 

8) Commercial attestation           2 photos per applicant.

All photographs should be recent and identical. For child photographs EYES should be open.

 Applications not meeting above requirements will result in delays.  

 

The applicants are responsible for the correctness of documents submitted. Indian passport services forms available:

	Application forms
Issue of new Passport/Renewal     [Additional Booklets are no longer issued]
Change of name
Sworn affidavit for change in appearance
Issue of duplicate passport/ in lieu of lost, stolen or damaged passports & ETD
Sworn affidavit for parents living in UK to apply for child passport in India.
Miscellaneous services - additions/deletions of children's names from parents' passports; other amendments to passports such as inclusion of 'emigration clearance not required' stamp and observations

Consular services forms available:

	Application forms
Registration of children eligible for Indian nationality
Attestation and legalisation of official documents
Sponsorship letters
Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cards
Police Clearance Certificate
Holding of an Indian passport by a foreign national constitutes an offence under the Indian Laws   Under the Indian laws, if the holder of an Indian passport acquires nationality of another country, he should surrender his/her Indian passport forthwith to the nearest Indian Mission/Post. Unauthorised possession of Indian passport constitutes an offence punishable under the Indian Passports Act, 1967.   2.         The Consulate General has come across several cases where persons of Indian origin who have acquired British citizenship continue to hold their Indian passports. The Indian laws are very clear on this.  Article 9 of the Constitution of India states that a person shall cease to be a citizen of India, if he voluntarily acquires the citizenship of any foreign State.  A foreign national is thus not entitled to hold an Indian passport.  In the light of this position, all persons of Indian origin, who have acquired foreign nationality, are advised to surrender their Indian passports forthwith to the nearest Indian Mission/Post for cancellation, in case they have not done so, so far.   3.         There is also a misconception among the public that now that the Government of India have introduced the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), foreign nationals of Indian origin can continue to hold an Indian passport. The factual position is that holding of an Indian passport by a foreign national continues to be an offence punishable under the Indian Passports Act, 1967.  OCI holders would be granted a “U” sticker visa which will be a multi-purpose, multi-entry, life-long visa pasted on their foreign passports.  Indian passport would not be issued to an OCI holder.

Fees for all services

Type	Fees (£)	Validity	Remarks
Ordinary Passport	27.00	10 years	36 pages
Ordinary [Jumbo Booklet]	34.00	10 years	60 pages
Ordinary (Child under 15 years) [NEW & RENEWAL]	17.00	5 years	upto age 15
Ordinary passport for child from the age of 15 years	27.00	10 years	36 pages
Fresh passport booklet [Jumbo]	34.00	-	60 pages
New Born Passport & Birth Registration	47.00	-
Lost/Stolen/Damaged	84.00	-
Commercial attestation	15.00	-
Companies attestation [per page notarized by the foreign office]	36.00	-
Miscellaneous services [change of address, Spouse name change]	7.00	-
Power of Attorney	15.00	-
Sworn Affidavit	8.00	-
Attestation	8.00	-
Emergency Travel Document    [ETD]	4.00	-
Police clearance certificate	15.00	-
Identity certificates [For Tibetans]	8.00	-
Life certificate        [Surcharge fee only]	2.00	-
OCI Application  including Minors  Fresh	170.00	-
OCI Lost/Damaged	62.00	-
Changing details & Transferring OCI to new Passport  [Old cancelled passport with OCI can be carried with New Passport]	16.00	-
PIO card holder applying for OCI [No refund for PIO]	16.00	-
Minor holding PIO applying for OCI	90.00	-
Refund for OCI applications found not eligible	130.00	-
PIO application for adult	215.00	-
PIO application for child [below 18 years]	110.00	-
Certificate of birth (as per Indian passport)	15.00	-
Certificate of spouse's name (as per Indian passport)	15.00	-
Sponsorship application attestation	15.00

Please tender exact amount at the counter while making payments in cash. No credit/cash cards/cheques. By post, payments by postal orders only. Also note the counter does not provide change. The rates of fees are liable to change from time to time. Please check website for updates.