Govt reverses its decision to issue orange passports for ECR category

Overseas travel insurance policy – Apart from emergency medical care costs, this covers loss of passport, documents and baggage. It also covers fraudulent charges made on your credit/debit card. (Representative Image)

The Ministry of External Affairs has reversed its decision to print orange passports for emigration check-required (ECR) category. The government has been facing a lot of criticism for its decision.

The ministry will also continue to print the last page of the passport, with the address details of the holder.

The External Affairs Ministry had announced two weeks ago to do away with the last page of the passport and to make a separate orange coloured passport for ECR passport holders. The ministry had issued a statement, which also said that those with non-ECR status will continue to be issued the blue passport.

"As the last page of the passport would not be printed now, the passport holders with ECR (Emigration Check Required) status would be issued a passport with orange passport jacket and those with non-ECR status would continue to get a blue passport," the MEA statement had said.

The intent behind this move was to enable quick emigration and help passengers avoid long queues since it would make ECR verification easier.

All the Indian passports are either endorsed with an ‘Emigration Check Required (ECR)’ status or with ‘Emigration Check Not Required (ECNR)’ status. In cases where an Indian citizen leaves the country with an intent of taking up employment in certain foreign countries, the passport holders with ECR status is required to provide additional documents for verification.

As per the Emigration Act, 1983, certain categories of Indian passport holders require obtaining an ‘Emigration Clearance’ from the office of the Protector of Emigrants (POE) for going to certain countries including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kuwait, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The removal of the last page that includes the father or legal guardian's name, the names of the holder’s mother, spouse and their address, would have meant that passports may no longer serve as a valid proof of address.

The move also meant to resolve various issues "pertaining to passport applications including examination of where mother/child had insisted that the name of the father should not be mentioned in the passport and also related to passport issues to children with a single parent and adopted children", according to the statement.

The Indian Security Press (ISP), Nasik, was to design the new passport booklets. "Till such time the new passport booklets are designed, manufactured and made available to the ministry by ISP, Nashik, the passports and other travel documents would continue to be printed with the last page," the MEA said.