New Delhi: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday reiterated that among the rules discarded to make it simpler for obtaining passport was the requirement to show a marriage certificate during the application process.
Swaraj said this at a speech to mark 'Passport Divas' to an audience of regional passport officers from across the country.
"Some married women and men said that they faced difficulties… that they are asked to show marriage certificate…there is no requirement for marriage certificate to get a passport. We said, discard this rule. No married man or woman has to show a marriage certificate to get a passport," said the minister.
The External Affairs Minister on Tuesday also launched a new scheme under which a person can apply for a passport from anywhere in India irrespective of the place of stay.
The minister also launched a mobile application, available in Android and iOS platforms, that would have the facilities for applying, paying and scheduling appointments for acquiring a passport.
Under the new scheme, launched on the occasion of the Sixth Passport Seva Divas, a person can now choose the Regional Passport Office (RPO) and the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) for applying.
The application can be submitted irrespective of whether the person's present residential address was within the jurisdiction of the selected RPO or not, a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said.
The police verification, if required for a specific passport, would be conducted at the address specified in the application form, it said.
The passport will be printed and despatched by the RPO selected for application submission by the applicant to the address specified in the application, the statement said.
For example, a resident of Jaipur, who is temporarily residing in Kolkata, will now be able to apply at a PSK or POPSK under the RPO, Kolkata, and will not have to travel all the way back to Jaipur to submit an application for a passport at a PSK or POPSK under the Jaipur RPO.