NRI alert: Indian expats can now provide UAE local address in passports

Dubai: Indian expats in the UAE and elsewhere can now provide their local address abroad to be added in their passports, Gulf News can reveal.

Siddhartha Kumar Baraily, consul, Passport and Attestation, at the Indian Consulate in Dubai said the Indian government had decided to allow its overseas citizens to add their local address in their country of residence mainly to aid those who do not have permanent or valid addresses in India.

“We understand that many people who have been staying for a long time in the UAE don’t have a valid address in India. They may add their local UAE address in their passports,” he said.

Change in address cannot be made in existing passports, the official clarified. Indian passport holders have to apply for a new passport in which the change in address can be made.

The facility can be availed by Indian expats living in both rented or self-owned accommodations. Those wishing to give their UAE address should provide certain documents as proof of residence at the time of applying for a new passport for changing the address from India to overseas.

Baraily said either the electricity and water bill [from Dewa/Sewa/Fewa] or rent agreement/title deed/tenancy contract will be accepted as proof of residence in the UAE. Changing their address may help applicants to get quick police verification from India at the time of passport renewal.

As first reported by Gulf News on Tuesday morning, police verification is now mandatory for the passport renewal of all Indian expats as per a change in the policy of India’s Ministry of External Affairs implemented since September.

However, the diplomat clarified that police verification of Indians abroad does not require verification of the address of the applicant. “This [police verification] is just to verify the identity of the applicants as Indian citizens and that there are no criminal cases registered against them since the time of the last police verification done on them,” he explained.

The mission is, however, encouraging Indians without a valid address to change their address, whether in India or locally.

Change of address in India

If applicants wish to change their address in India, any of the following documents may be accepted as proof of residence at the time of applying for a new passport for change in address:

i. Aadhaar Card/ e-Aadhaar/ Letter containing the unique Aadhaar number. [Aadhaar is India’s national identity card which has not become mandatory for Non-Resident Indians yet].

ii. Allotment letter of the government accommodation issued by the Estate Office/Public Works Department of the Central/State Government in respect of their employees

iii. Applicant’s current and valid ration card

iv. Driving licence

v. Duly certified/attested extract of the service record/book of the government employees (serving/retired) or the bona fide certificate issued by the employer in respect of serving Government employees

vi. Election Commission Photo ID card

vii. Electricity bill

viii. Employer Certificate on letterhead from reputed and widely-known companies

ix. Gas connection bill

x. Income Tax assessment order

xi. Marriage Certificate issued by the Registrar of Marriages along with address proof of spouse in respect of newly married women

xii. Parents’ passports and parents’ address proof in case of minors (if address is different)

xiii. Parents’ passports in case of minors (if address is the same)

xiv. Passport of son/ daughter in case of dependent parents (if address is the same)

xv. Passport of son/ daughter in case of dependent parents and address proof of son/ daughter (if address is different)

xvi. Photo Passbook of running Bank Account (Scheduled Public Sector Banks, Scheduled Private Sector Indian Banks and Regional Rural Banks only)

xvii. Proof of Address (POA) issued by the India Post, Department of Posts

xviii. Rent agreement

xix. Spouse’s passport copy (first and last page including family details mentioning applicant’s name as spouse of the passport holder provided the applicant’s present address matches the address mentioned in the spouse’s passport)

xx. Spouse’s passport copy (if address is different) with spouse’s address proof

xxi. Telephone (landline or post-paid mobile bill)

xxii. Water bill