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If your child has an exchange place or an offer abroad, the passport is often what holds the plan up. For most families it takes a single visit, if the consent form and documents are right the first time.
Who counts as a minor, and how long is the passport valid?
Anyone below 18 applies as a minor, according to the Passport Seva instruction booklet. A child under 15 gets a passport valid for five years or until they turn 18, whichever comes first. A child aged 15 to 18 can choose that passport or a full 10-year passport, which the Embassy of India in Riyadh notes is charged at the adult fee.
If your child is 16 and heading abroad for Class 11 or 12, the 10-year option means no renewal in the middle of their studies. Fees change, so check the current amount on the Passport Seva portal before you pay.
What documents do you need for a minor's passport?
Carry originals and self-attested copies of:
Proof of date of birth. For children born on or after 1 October 2023, a birth certificate from the Registrar of Births and Deaths, the Municipal Corporation or another authority under the 1969 Act is the only accepted proof, under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2025. Older children may also use documents such as a school leaving certificate.
Proof of address. The instruction booklet accepts a parent's passport copy (first and last pages) for minors, as well as documents such as Aadhaar.
The passports of both parents, or of whichever parent has one.
Annexure D, signed by both parents.
Check the birth certificate today. The same booklet says it should show the child's name, both parents' names, and the date and place of birth; if the child's name is missing, the parents give a signed declaration on plain paper naming the child. Spellings should match across every document.
What is Annexure D, and do both parents have to come?
Annexure D is a plain-paper declaration in which the parents state that the child is an Indian citizen and that they take full responsibility for the child's expenses, according to the official Annexure D form. The form warns that false information can lead to the passport being cancelled and to criminal proceedings under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Passports Act, 1967. The father and mother each sign it and write one ID number, preferably a passport number, or Aadhaar, voter ID, PAN or driving licence.
At the appointment, both parents come, or one parent comes with the passports of both, as set out in a Ministry of External Affairs office memorandum of 19 January 2016, when the consent form was numbered Annexure H. If one parent has no passport, plan for both to go.
What if one parent cannot sign?
When one parent has not given consent, the parent applying uses Annexure C instead. The instruction booklet lists reasons such as the other parent travelling abroad, separation with no court case pending, desertion, or a divorce or custody case in which the court has not ordered that the passport needs the other parent's consent. Divorced parents also bring a certified copy of the custody order.
Give these cases more time. The booklet says complex cases, including applications from a single parent, take about 30 days, and several single-parent categories cannot apply under Tatkaal.
How long does a minor's passport take?
Much of the wait depends on police verification. The instruction booklet says that if either parent holds a valid passport with the spouse's name endorsed, the minor's passport is issued without police verification; otherwise it is issued only after verification. Where no verification is needed, a normal application is expected to be dispatched on the third working day after you apply. After that comes the visa, which runs on the destination country's own timetable.
So count backwards from the departure date. This is the plan we suggest:
Sixteen weeks before: check the birth certificate, names and both parents' passports, and correct any mismatch.
Twelve weeks before: fill the form and book an appointment on the Passport Seva portal, and print Annexure D for both parents to sign.
Ten weeks before: visit the Passport Seva Kendra with your child and the originals.
Eight weeks before: aim to have the passport in hand, then start the visa.
Single-parent or custody cases: start four weeks earlier.
If your child will join classes abroad mid-year, Fermi's AI tutor can work out what they already know and build a plan for the session, so a gap in physics or maths does not travel with them.
Still deciding? Read our guide on whether your child should go on a school exchange, what to weigh when your child wants to study abroad after Class 10, and, for students who are 18, how to apply for a passport as a student going abroad.
