New Indian passport rule: What expats in UAE must know about Annexure J

Dubai: The Indian Consulate in Dubai has confirmed implementing a new passport rule recently announced by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, which allows Indian citizens without a marriage certificate to add their spouse’s name to their passport. 

Now, applicants can submit a self-declared joint photo affidavit, known as Annexure J, it was revealed last month. The rule was relaxed to help couples without a registered marriage certificate, who often face delays or rejection when applying to update their marital status on their passports, Indian media reports quoted officials as saying.

“The Consulate has been accepting Annexure J in lieu of a marriage certificate since the notification,” the Press Wing of the Indian Consulate in Dubai confirmed to Gulf News.

The Annexure J form acts as a joint declaration for passport applicants for spouses to confirm their marital status. It requires both spouses to declare their names, affirming their marital status and confirming that they have been living together as a married couple. The form includes a request for the applicant’s passport to be issued or reissued with the spouse's name included.

It needs to carry the latest self-attested joint photograph of the husband and wife, the full name and residential address of the applicant in the application request, and names and signatures along with the numbers of Aadhaar cards or voter ID cards and passport numbers of both spouses below the request.  

It requires a solemn affirmation that all information provided is accurate. It also carries a disclaimer that the applicant will be solely responsible for defending the case, not the passport-issuing authority, in case of any litigation arising due to the issue or reissue of the passport.

Since Indian expats in the UAE can only get their passports reissued or renewed (except in the case of newborns), the Annexure J form has to be submitted along with their passport renewal application.

It is mandatory that both the spouses have to visit the Indian Consulate and sign the form in front of the consul in charge. Once this is done, the applicant can submit it along with the passport renewal application at one of the centres of the outsourced service provider, BLS International.

Annexure J is just an option for Indian expats wishing to include their spouses’ names in their passports if they do not possess a registered marriage certificate.

It can also be presented to change the surname by women applicants following marriage in the absence of a marriage certificate. In case of a full change of name after marriage, the standard name change procedure should be followed.

Meanwhile, the Consulate continues to provide the service of registering marriages of Indian expats.

Marriages between two individuals, at least one of whom is an Indian citizen with a residence visa of the UAE, are solemnised/registered at the Consulate under India’s Foreign Marriage Act, 1969.

Marriages where either the bride or groom or both are Muslims are not solemnised at the Consulate as they need to register the marriage contract with a Sharia court as per the UAE laws.

If the couple got married in India and wish to register their marriage, they can do so with the authorities concerned in India only.