Applying for an Indian passport at BLS International USA - in lieu of a damaged one

Hi Everyone!

I recently applied for a duplicate passport since my passport got damaged. I had a lot of trouble understanding the document requirements on BLS website, specially regarding the number of photos and nationality verification forms required for the same. There was all sorts of confusing information everywhere. So today that I have submitted my application successfully, I thought I should share my experiences and help others. That's when the idea of blogging came to my mind and here comes my first ever post!

Online application form

Click here to go to the online NRI passport application page.

• It is very important to select the correct Indian mission. For me it was USA-NEW YORK CGI. Click here to find out your correct Indian mission in USA.
• Visible Mark - If you don't have any, write NONE.
• Address to be printed on passport - I gave my US address since I did not want to get into the hassle of procuring my Indian address proofs and getting them notarized. However, based on the experiences of our readers, it looks like if you want the exact same Indian address printed on your new passport as you have on your old one, it is OK and no proofs are needed. Otherwise BLS would only print US address on the new passport.
• Other address - Here I entered my Indian address. No proofs needed.
• Phone No - I gave my US cell number.
• Mobile No - I gave my parent's Indian cell number.
• Family Information - The names should be entered exactly as in your old passport.
• Upload Image - I would prefer not to since you anyways have to paste your hard copy photos to many other forms.
• Generate PDF - Click on this button and save/print your application.

Once you print your application form, fill out all the remaining fields -

• Specimen signature - Make sure you sign exactly as you had signed in your old passport otherwise they might ask you to send a notarized self written affidavit on plain paper for change in signature.
• Color photographs - 2 photos are needed.. one has to be pasted on the first page, the other has to be stapled at the end of the last page. For photo specification, click here or here.
• Amount paid - I applied for a jumbo passport so the fee was $191.20. To know how much you'd pay, click here. I had a money order made through USPS (they charged $1.20). You may go to Walmart too to get that for a lower fee.
• For delivery by mail - Enter 0 here since you need to either collect your passport in person or send a prepaid return envelope along with your application.
• When did applicant first leave India - I filled in the date I first flew from India on the current visa.
• How long has applicant continuously resided abroad - This should be the difference in the date you are filling your application form and what you filled in the field which said 'When was he/she in India last?'
• Present Emigration Status - This needs to be whatever you have in your current passport. I was not a professional degree holder when I applied for my first passport so I have ECR written on it. For passports issued in or after Jan 2007, no notation in the passport means ECNR. Documentary evidence is required for ECNR though I've read of some people who were told by BLS that this evidence was not required.
• For all yes/no questions, do write Yes or No (as applicable). For other questions which are not applicable to you, write NA.
• Name and address of two relatives/friends - US based.
• Briefly state circumstances of loss/theft/damage of passport on a plain paper - I didn't need to write anything for damaged passport.
• Declaration - This needs to be notarized (since I was applying under damaged passport). For notarization, I went to UPS who do it for $5 per document (yes, pretty expensive, specially since you'd have to notarize a lot of things). Some banks notarize their customer documents free of cost, mine didn't.
• Specimen signature - You need to sign in both boxes (again, same signature as in old passport!!).

Nationality Verification Form

Click here to download the required nationality verification form. You need 8 copies, each with a photo. That makes a total of 10 photographs for this complete application.

• Place of birth - It asks for Village and District. I just filled the Indian city and state instead.
• Date of leaving India - This should be same as what you filled in 'When did applicant first leave India' in your application form.
• Period of stay abroad - This should the difference between the date you are filling this entry and the date you entered just above as 'Date of leaving India'.
• Date of loss of passport - Leave it as blank or write NA since we are applying under damaged passport.
• Name and address of travel agent involved in sending the individual abroad - If it is your company which sent you (like mine), you may write your company's name and Indian address. Otherwise, write the travel agent's details.

BLS Order Form

Click here to fill out the BLS order form. This is a must have for both postal and walk-in applications. In case you plan to drop your application at the BLS office and pickup your passport when ready, you do not need any airway bill numbers (tracking numbers). Otherwise, please make sure you generate prepaid labels as needed before filling out this form. I would suggest creating a UPS account for doing this online. FedEx may also be used. I don't think USPS can be used for return labels since they do not provide tracking numbers until you are actually shipping. Creating an online account with UPS or FedEx is preferred since they can map your credit card information to your account and thus your credit card numbers do not float around on your packages.

You also need to have your money order/cashier check (in favor of BLS International USA) ready before filling out this form since those details will be required.

Once you complete the order form, it will ask you to select an appointment date and time (in case you selected Walk-in as the application type). One thing to note is that there is a 'First come, first served' rule at BLS office (at least it was there in New York). So even if you have your appointment at 1:00 pm, you should reach there even before the office opens. This will give you enough time to reapply on the same date in case you have some documents missing or they reject your photographs or anything else. There are shops close-by which have notary public & photo services so you can have your documents fixed and then go to BLS again and get a token.

Other documents required

• Notarized color photocopy of proof of valid Visa on Passport/ Green Card/ Permanent Residency Card/ Employee Authorization Card/ I-797 Approval Notice/ I-485 for children, I-20 for applicants on student visa.
• Notarized photocopy of Proof of Residence- For example Driving License/ Utility Bill Gas/Electricity/Water/ Rental lease agreement /Home Mortgage Bill (In case of minor proof of residence of either or both parents is accepted)
• Notarized affidavit for damaged passport. You need to take two witnesses along with their IDs with you to the notary. The applicant should sign as Deponent.
• Notarized '4 point affidavit' - only for applicants of Houston jurisdiction.
• If married but do not have spouse's name in the passport - Notarized photocopy of marriage certificate and Notarized photocopy of the first & last page of spouse's passport.
• Damaged passport along with photocopy of first five & last two pages. Do not send your I-94.
• Duly filled and signed checklist. Make sure you go through the checklist and arrange other documents as needed.
• Prepaid envelopes and labels if applying through or getting it delivered by mail.

Having submitted your application, you can track your application here using a variety of options.
I hope these details help. If you find something is not right or have any comments/suggestions, do let me know!

Update (10/14/13): I received my new passport today after 2 weeks of submission!