The Passports Act, 1967

(1) This Act may be called the Passports Act, 1967. (2) It extends to the whole of India and applies also to citizens of India who are outside India.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-- (a) "departure", with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions, means departure fromIndia by water, land or air; (b) "passport" means a passport issued or deemed to have been issued under this Act; (c) "passport authority" means an officer or authority empowered under rules made under thisAct to issue passports or travel documents and includes the Central Government; (d) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (e) "travel document" means a travel document issued or deemed to have been issued underthis Act.

No person shall depart from, orattempt to depart from India unless he holds in this behalf a valid passport or travel document. Explanation.--For the purposes of this section,-- (a) "passport" includes a passport which having been issued by or under the authority of theGovernment of a foreign country satisfies the conditions prescribed under the Passport(Entry into India) Act, 1920 (34 of 1920), in respect of the class of passports to which it belongs; (b) "travel document" includes a travel document which having been issued by or under theauthority of the Government of a foreign country satisfies the conditions prescribed.

(1) The following classes of passports may beissued under this Act, namely:-- (a) ordinary passport; (b) Official passport; (c) diplomatic passport. (2) The following classes of travel documents may be issued under this Act, namely:-- (a) emergency certificate authorising a person to enter India; (b) certificate of identity for the purpose of establishing the identity of a person; (c) such other certificate or document as may be prescribed. (3) The Central Government shall, in consonance with the usage and practice followed by it in thisbehalf, prescribe the classes of persons to whom the classes of passports and travel documents referred torespectively in sub-section (1) and sub-section (2) may be issued under this Act.

1[(1) An applicationfor the issue of a passport under this Act for visiting such foreign country or countries (not being a namedforeign country) as may be specified in the application may be made to the passport authority and shall be accompanied by 2[such fee as may be prescribed to meet the expenses incurred on special security paper,printing, lamination and other connected miscellaneous services in issuing passports and other traveldocuments.] Explanation.--In this section, "named foreign country" means such foreign country as the CentralGovernment may, by rules made under this Act, specify in this behalf. (1A) An application for the issue of-- (i) a passport under this Act for visiting a named foreign country; or (ii) a travel document under this Act, for visiting such foreign country or countries(including a named foreign country) as may be specified in the application or for an endorsementon the passport or travel document referred to in this section, may be made to the passport authority and shall be accompanied by such fee (if any) not exceedingrupees fifty, as may be prescribed. (1B) Every application under this section shall be in such form and contain such particulars asmay be prescribed.] (2) On receipt of an application 3[under this section], the passport authority, after making suchinquiry, if any, as it may consider necessary, shall, subject to the other provisions of this Act, by orderin writing,-- (a) issue the passport or travel document with endorsement ,or, as the case may be, make on thepassport or travel document the endorsement, in respect of the foreign country or countries specifiedin the application; or (b) issue the passport or travel document with endorsement, or, as the case may be, make on thepassport or travel document the endorsement, in respect of one or more of the foreign countriesspecified in the application and refuse to make an endorsement in respect of the other country orcountries; or (c) refuse to issue the passport or travel document or, as the case may be, refuse to make on thepassport or travel document any endorsement. (3) Where the passport authority makes an order under clause (b) or clause (c) of sub-section (2) onthe application of any person, it shall record in writing a brief statement of its reasons for making suchorder and furnish to that person on demand a copy of the same unless in any case the passport authority isof the opinion that it will not be in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security ofIndia, friendly relations of India with any foreign country or in the interests of the general public tofurnish such copy.