Passport is a document meant to ‘regulate the departure from India of citizens of India’: MEA spokesperson
An Indian passport is a document that is meant to “regulate the departure from India of citizens of India,” said the Official Spokesperson of the
An Indian passport is a document that is meant to “regulate the departure from India of citizens of India,” said the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday (July 14, 2026). Responding to a question during a routine press briefing, Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said, “An Indian passport is a document that, as per the Passports Act, 1967, is issued by the Government of India to regulate the departure from India of citizens of India.” “It is issued after due verification laid out by an established process.
The issue of passports to Indian citizens or any other individual is governed by the Passports Act, 1967 and Passports Rules, 1980. Currently, less than
8% of Indian citizens hold a passport,” said Mr. Jaiswal. The response came weeks after a government official referred to the Indian passport as a
“travel document” and said that it is not a “citizenship document”.
The BriefWire