Indian Passport blank pages

August 16, 2011 1:26 AM

Indian Passport with only 4 blank pages, and have to travel to US/UK.

I have an Indian Passport, and I might travel back to States for work soon. On the way back, plan to make a stopover in UK. I have only four single blank pages in my passport. No pages with blank on both sides. Usually UK/US they require 2 blank pages for visa entry. Iam not sure If I should just do nothing and go for visa stamping and then travel, or should I issue a new passport. My passport is still due to expire in 2013.

posted by jassi to travel & transportation (7 answers total)

You might be able to add new pages to your current passport. Google is inconclusive (some people say you can, some say you can't) so you will have to ask the officials.
posted by katrielalex at 1:39 AM on August 16, 2011

I agree that you can add new pages -- I just came back into the UK with a US passport that had fewer than 2 pages free, and the UK agent advised me that I had too few pages, and to go to my consulate, where they could add new pages for me. I would call your passport office and ask if they can add pages.
posted by ukdanae at 2:49 AM on August 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Only some passports allow for addition of pages, most commonly the US. I've never seen an Indian passport with pages added, but it's quite common to see them stuck together like a concertina. Can't speak for the US but i have a particular dislike towards the handwritten Indian passports. I've even seen a few where the name has been written incorrectly on the bio page, crossed out and corrected. You could always visit the consulate abduction get the definitive answer.
posted by Dillonlikescookies at 2:59 AM on August 16, 2011

Er please forgive my spelling and grammar, I'm posting from my phone.
posted by Dillonlikescookies at 3:01 AM on August 16, 2011

1. Indian passports do not allow extra pages or an extra booklet anymore. Even if your passport is not due to expire till 2013, needing more pages means needing a new passport.

2. Also, no more handwritten passports. India now does handwritten short-validity (less than one year) passports only to facilitate cases of emergency travel from outside India to India. These cases are people who have to travel back to India for some medical emergency sort of thing (or death in family) and can't wait for the printed passports (these are printed in India because most Embassies/Consulates do not have the heavy and expensive machinery to keep them in their offices abroad, so there is a 2-3 week gap between application and receipt of passport booklet).

3. From the framing, it looks like you are in India. You have the option of getting a "tatkal" (urgent) passport from your local passport office. It will cost you more than the normal fee, but you can get a new passport in 3 days IIRC. Browse the website: http://passport.gov.in/

4. The website allows online tracking of your passport application. A relative of mine recently got a new passport after the old one had run out of pages just like you. It took 15 days through the normal, non-urgent route. YMMV.
posted by vidur at 1:06 PM on August 16, 2011

I should clarify that when I said "extra booklet", I meant an extra booklet with the same passport number as the existing one. The new passport would, of course, be a new booklet and you'd probably keep your old passport around because that would have some still-valid visas for you.

Which brings to me to a point most people forget when they get a new passport. They assume that keeping both passport booklets (new and old) is enough to get them into a country even though the visa was issued on the old passport. If you have any still-valid visas in your old passport, please check with that country's embassy/consulate to see if you can enter that country without having to transfer the visa to your new passport. Some countries allow this, some don't. Do not make assumptions.
posted by vidur at 1:11 PM on August 16, 2011

I was told in the Indian Embassy at Stockholm, Sweden that new booklets are not provided anymore but you get new passport instead.

What is not clear to me from OP's post is, if he has visas already stamped or he is going to get them stamped. I have traveled to the US with 2 pages and no issues, they stamped my entry across the visa, so should be fine. But if you have time in your hands, get a new passport better safe than sorry. Both US and UK embassies change the rules in India way too quickly to follow..
posted by zaxour at 2:47 PM on August 16, 2011