The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has stated that residents can now add their spouse’s name to their passport without providing a marriage certificate, which is expected to alleviate a long-standing inconvenience for Indian passport applicants. A joint picture declaration (Annexure J) is now a recognised alternative under the new regulation.
The reports said that Annexure J, which is signed by both the husband and the wife, is now a legitimate substitute for the conventional marriage certificate requirement, which many applicants previously found difficult to meet, according to Pune’s regional passport officer Arjun Deore.
The modification addresses notable regional differences in marriage registration procedures, according to a senior passport officer. In many northern states, weddings are not registered by default, unlike in Maharashtra, which leaves applicants without official marriage certificates.
According to the source, the MEA created the Joint Photo Declaration option since many applicants frequently do not have all the necessary paperwork.
The pair must indicate that they have been living together as a married couple by providing their names, residence, and marital status in Annexure J. Both parties must sign the declaration with the date and location clearly stated, and there is a spot on the form for a self-attested joint photo. The Aadhaar numbers, voter IDs, and passport numbers (if available) of both spouses are additional necessary information.
Dr. Deore said that the declaration is only deemed legitimate if all fields—including names, Aadhaar numbers, voter ID numbers, and passport numbers, if applicable—are filled out, and that the document has a specific area for a self-attested joint photo.
The government has also clarified that a divorce decision or order is still required in order to have a spouse’s name removed off a passport. According to a source, applicants must submit updated identity documents with QR-code-enabled Aadhaar verification, a divorce decree, the first spouse’s death certificate, a remarriage certificate, or a Joint Photo Declaration (Annexure J) signed by both parties in order to change a spouse’s name on the passport.
