Dubai: Indian expats are in a fix with the Indian government deciding to do away with the last page of the passport which serves as a proof of address and relationships.
With Non-resident Indians not being eligible for the Aadhaar identity cards, expats are fuming that they will be left with no official document to prove their permanent address and relationships with parents and spouse that are endorsed on the last page. They have urged the government to revoke the plan.
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While the government has considered the plea of single parents and divorcees to avoid naming their spouses in their passports and their children, they said, it has ignored the difficulties that will be faced by the majority of people who want to prove their family relationships and addresses back home.
“For an NRI, passport is the only document to show his Indian address, father’s name, mother’s name or spouse’s name. All countries demand all these information for issuing visit visa and resident visa. Even banks ask for these details and permanent address,” pointed out K.V. Shamsudheen, chairman of Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust in Sharjah.
“The decision to stop giving all these information in the last page of passport will create a lot of issues for non-resident Indians in the long run,” he said.
Advocate Hashik T.K., who has handled several cases of mistaken identity of Indians here, said it will be a blunder to do away with the details on the last page of the passport.
“In mistaken identity cases where the name and date of birth are the same, officials look for the names of parents and spouses and addresses to establish the identity. Even with all these details, some people have got into trouble. Doing away with such vital information in passports will be a big blunder that will harm many innocent people.”
He pointed out that applicants may not get to know mistakes, if any, in the details saved in the government databases if they cannot read them in the passports.
“People can’t keep running to the consulate or embassy to seek basic details saved in their system. This will become a problem in death cases also. It is easier to get in touch with the family of a deceased expat if these details are available in the passport.”
He said expats travelling to other countries without the presence of Indian missions would also face difficulties in case of emergencies where they have to establish these details.
