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Documents Required for Non-ECR Passport, Process to Change

Indian passports are categorized as ECR or Non-ECR based on the passport holders’ status that depends on various factors like their education, age, marital status, etc. You need to provide supporting documents at the Passport Seva Kendra as proof to be able to get a Non-ECR Passport. In this article, we will review the complete list of documents required for Non-ECR Passport and the application process to change from ECR to Non-ECR category, including renewal of Non-ECR passport and what they would ask.

Before we get into the details of the documents, let’s quickly look at the background of ECR vs Non-ECR or ECNR passports and why they really exist.

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Background : Indian Passports – ECR vs. Non-ECR Category

In India, there are two categories of passports: ECR(Emigration Check Required) and Non-ECR (formerly called ECNR- Emigration Check Not Required). They are indicated by a notation/text/stamp in the passport on the last page of the passport.

ECR Passport: ECR stands for Emigration Check Required.   In general, if you have not passed 10th grade/class (Matriculation or higher education pass certificate)  then your passport will fall under ECR Category. An emigration check is nothing but a verification process that an individual has to go through if they plan to travel to certain countries for work as unskilled workers. The main reason for indicating ECR in passports is to ensure that unskilled workers or anyone with less education is not exploited when they visit certain countries for work.

Non-ECR Passport (ECNR): Non-ECR, formerly known as ECNR, means Emigration Check Not Required(ECNR). In general, if you have passed 10th class/grade (Matriculation or Higher Educational Pass Certificate) or have a higher degree then your passport falls under Non-ECR Category.  Even, if you do not have 10th class or higher education, if you meet any of the below criteria, then you will usually fall under Non-ECR category

  • Official and Diplomatic passport holders
  • Gazetted Government officers, their spouses and children
  • Individuals who are above the age of 50 years
  • Children up to the age of 18 years.
  • Income taxpayers ( including agricultural income tax payers), their spouses and children under 18 years.
  • Professional degree holders such as Engineers, Doctors, CA,  etc., their spouses and children.
  • Anyone who hold visas for permanent immigration / resident visas for the US, UK, and Australia
  • Individuals who have spent three years overseas and their spouses
  • Individuals who hold a diploma in nursing under the Indian Nursing Council Act-1947
  • People holding diploma in Polytechnic from any recognized institute.
  • People who work in Sea with Continuous Discharge Certificate or Sea Cadets and Deck cadets.

You can read more about these at Guide to ECR vs Non-ECR Category Passports, FAQs. Now that we understand the basics, let’s look at the documents required for Non-ECR Category Passport

Documents Required for Non-ECR Passport

Below are the documents required as proof to get a Non-ECR or ECNR Passport. These documents vary by the applicant’s status, education, age, etc as listed in the above background section. We have divided it into sections for easy reference

Persons with Education Qualification with 10th or Above

If you have education qualification of 10th Class, you can get Non-ECR category passport. This is the most common proof that many would use to get a Non-ECR category passport. Below are the documents you need to submit.

  • 10th Class Pass Certificate. This is also called as Matriculation certificate. It could be CBSE, ICSE or State Board 10th Class/Grade Pass Certificate.
  • If you have 12th Grade/Class Pass Certificate, you need to carry that. This is also called as Intermediate or Junior college pass certificate.
  • If you have Bachelors Degree like B.Tech, B.A, B.Com or any other types of degree certificates, you can carry the same.
  • If you have got Masters Degree or PhD Degrees, you can carry the degree award certificate of the same.

Children up to 18 Years of Age

If you are applying for passport for your minor children who are under 18 years of age, you just need to carry proof of their Birth to be eligible for Non-ECR Category

  • Birth Certificate issued by Municipal Authoritry or any other Government authority that is authorized to issue Birth Certificate.

If you are applying for renewal / re-issue of passport after 18 years of age, then you need to submit the education related documents or other proofs to be able to get Non-ECR Category.

Anyone above age of 50 Years

Anyone over the age of 50 years are eligible for Non-ECR category. You need to carry proof of their Birth that indicates the age or any other documents that can give some idea on your age. Below are the two documents that you can use for the same. You just need one of them.

  • Birth Certificate issued by Municipal Authoritry or any other Government authority that is authorized to issue Birth Certificate.
  • If no birth certificate, then you can use the Secondary School Leaving Certificate or any of the Board Certificate issued by the relevant school that the applicant attended.

Professional Degree Holders, their Spouses & Children

All professional degree holders as listed below are eligible for Non-ECR Category. Also, Spouses and Children of the professional degree holders are eligible for Non-ECR Category passport.

  • Doctors with MBBS Degree or equivalent Ayurvedic/ Homeopathy
  • Engineers with Engineering Degree like B.Tech, B.Engg, etc.
  • Charted Accountants (CA)
  • Cost Accountants
  • Lecturers
  • Advocates with Law Degree
  • Teachers
  • Scientists

Below are the document proofs they need to submit to get Non-ECR category passport

  • Certificate of the Professional Degree that was awarded to them. E.g. MBBS Certificate, B.Tech Certificate, etc.
  • For Spouses of Professional Degree Holders
    • Marriage Certificate that indicates the proof of relationship with the professional degree holder. This can be an attested copy of Marriage Certificate as well issued by Registrar of Marriages.
    • Also, if the spouse name is endorsed in passport, then you can share copy of the passport as proof.
  • For Dependent Children of Professional Degree Holders
    • Birth Certificate with name of parent that indicates the child relationship. The birth certificate can be issued by Municipal Authoritry or any other Government authority that is authorized to issue Birth Certificate.
    • If no birth certificate, then you can use the Secondary School Leaving Certificate with Parents name on it to signify relationship. This can also be any of the Board Certificate issued by the relevant school that the applicant attended with parent details on it..

Income Tax Payers, their Spouses & Children

Income tax payers, including the agricultural income tax payers, and their spouses and children below 18 years of age are eligible for Non-ECR Category passport. They need to provide the one of the below documents for the same.

  • Proof of Income tax Assessment and Payment of Income tax for the past one year
  • Income tax return statement for last one year that is stamped by income tax authorities and a copy of the PAN Card.

Applicants with NIL Tax return statement are not eligible to use it as proof for Non-ECR category. Also, just payment of advance income tax is not sufficient as proof, they need to use above listed additional documents.

  • For Spouses of Income Tax Payers
    • Marriage Certificate that indicates the proof of relationship with the income tax payers. This can be an attested copy of Marriage Certificate as well issued by Registrar of Marriages. Also, if the spouse name is endorsed in passport, then you can share copy of the passport as proof.
  • For Dependent Children of Professional Degree Holders
    • Birth Certificate with name of parent that indicates the child relationship. The birth certificate can be issued by Municipal Authoritry or any other Government authority that is authorized to issue Birth Certificate.
    • If no birth certificate, then you can use the Secondary School Leaving Certificate with Parents name on it to signify relationship. This can also be any of the Board Certificate issued by the relevant school that the applicant attended with parent details on it..

Nurses

Nurses who have qualification that are recognized by Indian Nursing Council Act of 1947 are eligible for non-ECR category passport. Below is the proof they need to submit

  • Nursing Certificate awarded to the applicant.

Diplomatic/ Official Passport holders

All diplomatic passport holders fall under the Non-ECR category. There are no separate document requirements for for diplomatic passport holders. They just need to carry the diplomatic passport.

Gazetted Government Servants, their Spouses and Children

All Gazetted Govt. Servants are eligible for Non-ECR passport. Also, their spouses and children are also eligible for Non-ECR category passports. Below are the documents required for the same.

  • For Gazetted Govt. Servants : One of the below three
  • For Spouse of Gazetted Govt. Servants : One of the below
    • Identifty Certificate of applicant as per Annexure A
    • Marriage Certificate that indicates the proof of relationship with the Gazetted Govt. Servant. This can be an attested copy of Marriage Certificate as well issued by Registrar of Marriages.
  • For Children of Gazetted Govt. Servants : One of the below
    • Identifty Certificate of applicant as per Annexure A
    • Birth Certificate issued by Municipal Office or other Govt. authority that indicates the proof of relationship with the Gazetted Govt. Servant as child.
    • If no birth certificate, then you can use the Secondary School Leaving Certificate with Parents name on it to signify relationship. This can also be any of the Board Certificate issued by the relevant school that the applicant attended with parent details on it..
    • Passport copy of the Gazetted Govt. Servant

Persons with Diploma from NCVT, SCT, Polytechnics

Anyone with two year diploma from any of the institutes that are recognized by the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) or the State Council of Vocational Training (SCVT), or anyone holding three years diploma or equivalent degree from institutions, such as Polytechnics recognized by the Central/State Governments of India are eligible for Non-ECR Category passports. Below is the proof they need to submit.

  • Diploma Pass Certificate that is issued by the institute.

Anyone Staying Abroad for more than 3 years

Anyone who have been staying outside of India for more than 3 years (both continuous and in breaks that add to 3 years), including their spouses are eligible for non-ECR category passport. Below are the proofs they need to submit

  • Copy of the Passport ( first and last pages with any observations written by passport issuing authority, including the page that has ECR/Non-ECR notation)
  • Written statment by applicant that details all the exit and entry to India and passport with stamps supporting the same. It should be in format of a table with fields “S. No, Date of Exit, Port of Exit, Page number of passport with Stamp of the exit, number of days spent outside of India “. Also, should include details of entry in the above table. The total should add up to more than 3 years or 1095 days.
  • For Spouses
    • Marriage Certificate that indicates the proof of relationship with the person staying abroad. This can be an attested copy of Marriage Certificate as well issued by Registrar of Marriages.
    • Also, if the spouse name is endorsed in passport, then you can share copy of the passport as proof too.

Seamen with Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC), or Sea Cadets and Deck Cadets

Seamen who have passed the final exam of 3 years B.Sc in Nautical Sciences at  T.S. Chanakya, Mumbai and who have got pre-sea training for 3 months at any of the Govt. approved training institutes like T.S. Chanakya, T.S. Rehman, T.S. Jawahar, MTI (SCI) and NIPM, CHENNAI are eligible for non-ECR category passports. Below is what they need to submit

  • Continuous Discharge Certificate on their name.

Persons with Permanent Resident Status in UK, USA and Australia

Anyone holding permanent resident status in UK, USA and Australia are eligible for non-ECR category passport. Below is what they need to submit as proof

  • Copy of the Permanent Resident Card or Immigration Status that indicates the same from the country immigration department. E.g. Green Card for USA.

You can also check Passport Office Non- ECNR page for more details.

Process to Change from ECR to Non-ECR Indian Passport

The process to change from an an ECR passport to a Non-ECR passport is very straightforward. It is no different from general passport re-issue. The key difference is the proof of documents. Below is the step by step process :

  • Step 1 : Apply for passport re-issue to change from ECR to Non-ECR
  • Step 2 : When you are filling the online application or PDF application form when applying for the re-issue, you should select “YES” for the question “Are you eligible for Non-ECR Category?
  • Step 3 : When you go to the Passport office or during online application step, upload Non-ECR proof thgat is relevant to you. Check the above sections for list of documents that you can use for Non-ECR eligiblity. Most of the common documents are your 10th or matriculation pass certificate or degree certificate, income tax statements, etc.  depending on your eligibility criteria.
  • Step 4 : Book an appointment and visit passport seva kendra with relevant original documents that are proofs for Non-ECR category
  • Step 5 : Documents are verified at Passport Seva Kendra and if all are fine, you will get passport without notation of ECR. If there is no text or notation, it means your passport is Non-ECR category.

You can read How to apply for Indian Passport Re-issue Steps to know more. What was your experience with Non-ECR category passport process ? Share your thoughts.

   

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2 Comments

  1. I had a passport appt scheduled for my son’s passport renewal on April 14th which is today, A week ago I received a SMS appt suspended and no reason mentioned.
    I sent an email to rpo.hyderabad and received the reply just two days ago on 12th April that the appointment is restored. Today morning as I am preparing to visit the PSK -Tolichowki, Hyd, they again shocked me with their text message that the appointment is suspended this time on the note I see Ambedkar Jayanti. Do I need to reschedule a new appt which is available almost 2 months from now or anyway to expedite the request?

    I don’t really understand how did they allow me to book an appointment on the holiday and then go through his process back and forth before finally suspending. I feel they should have atleast adjusted my appointment somewhere during next week than causing inconvenience like this.

    If anyone faced the similar issue please respond with your suggestions. Appreciate your help.

    Reply

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