Replace Indian Passports with 20-Year Validity
Posted May 06, 2005
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At The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C., we have received a number of questions over the past year about travel using Indian passports with 20-year validity periods. This matter was addressed in March 2004 by the Indian Embassy, Consular Wing, in Washington DC. At that time, the Embassy advised that people with these 20-year passports should have them replaced with the 10-year passports. Since we continue to receive questions regarding this matter, apparently generated by articles in the Indian press, we are providing more information and clarification at this time.
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Background of the 20-Year Passports
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Some Indian passports were issued between 1999 and 2000 with a 20-year validity. Since this was unusual, and not universally known by all those involved with immigration procedures, people with these passports sometimes had problems when traveling.
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Should I Replace My Passport?
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These 20-year validity passports are valid and are recognized by the U.S. government. This is confirmed by the U.S. Consulate in New Delhi, as well as the U.S. Consulate in Calcutta. To avoid confusion and any difficulty while traveling, however, it is best to obtain a new, 10-year passport.
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The Indian Embassy is applying no charges for replacing 20-year validity passports with the 10-year validity passports, other than any mailing charges. This information is on the Indian Embassy WebSite, as are complete instructions on how to obtain a new passport.
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Conclusion
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Anyone in possession of a 20-year Indian passport who has an urgent need to travel may want to print out the information from the Indian Embassy site, as documentation to show any immigration official who is unfamiliar with the 20-year passport.