Consulate General of the United States Mumbai, India

Photo specifications

To renew an expiring or expired passport for a minor child (under 16 years of age), follow this process. If you are filing a Consular Report of a Birth Abroad, you may submit it together with the passport application.

1.  Make an appointment online and print the appointment letter. Appointments are available for American citizens Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. We are closed on the last Wednesday of every month and on American and Indian holidays.

2.  Complete the Form DS-11 passport application online. Online application tips:       

• Complete the address fields completely. If you are in India, your passport will not be sent back to the United States. When you drop off your application, you can designate if you wish to pick it up or have it sent to you by registered mail to an address in India.
• If completing an application without a social security number, you may enter all zeroes as a placeholder.
• Expedite fee: You do not need to select the "expedite fee" option; passports printed for citizens abroad are automatically expedited.
• Please fill out the emergency contact information even though it is not required.
• Print the form but do not use two-sided printing.

3. Print the application and bring it with required documents to the interview. Do not sign the application for your child. You will do so in the presence of the consular officer.

Except as described below, the child and both parents must appear in person.  

Required Documents

• Current Passport
• One (1) studio-quality color photograph taken within the last six months measuring 2" x 2" (5cm x 5cm) with a white background. No other photo format can be accepted. 

• Both parents and the child must be present with photo identification to sign the passport application in the presence of a consular officer.If one parent isunable to apply, he/she must provide a notarized Form DS-3053, Statement of Consent - Issuance of a Passport to a Minor Under Age 16. The consular officer reserves the right to require additional evidence if the consent is notarized by a non-U.S. notary public.

• For children under age 16, the parents must prove their parentage by showing a copy of the child's government-issued birth certificate. If the birth certificate lists the mother's maiden name, she should be able to prove her identity accordingly.
• Children age 16 or older may sign the application in the presence of the consular officer. The parents need not be present, and there is no need to present a copy of the child's birth certificate.
  
• The child must prove his/her identity. If the child is easily identifiable by the consular officer by looking at the previous passport, no additional proof may be necessary. However, a child's appearance may change significantly over time, so the consular officer may ask for additional proof of identity. Please bring as much proof as possible. Examples of items that can be used to establish a child's identity are:
  
  - Person of Indian Origin (PIO) or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card (issued by the Government of India).
  - A passport issued by another country.
  - School ID card with photo.
  - Police/immigration registration record with attached photo.
  - Growing age photos (i.e., a series of family photographs from various ages since the child's last passport was issued--for example, if the child is now five years old and the passport was issued shortly after his/her birth, bring family photos showing the child at ages 1, 2, 3 and 4).

Complete fee information is available here. If applying in person, you may pay with cash dollars, cash rupees (at the current consular exchange rate), demand draft payable to "American Consulate General, Mumbai", or a major U.S. credit card. Personal checks are not accepted.

Passport Processing Time

Except in emergencies, passports are printed in the United States and take approximately 7-10 days. Please consider this timeline when renewing or applying for passports. You will receive an automated email when your passport is ready.

Passport delivery arrangements

• To receive your new passport by courier, please purchase a prepaid courier envelope from the VFS office and bring it with you at the time of your appointment at the Consulate. (Click here for a list of western Indian VFS offices.) Alternatively, you may bring a completed address form (PDF-33kb) with Rs. 169.00 cash or a demand draft made to "VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd.,” payable in Mumbai only.  The American Citizen Services staff will direct you to a VFS facility at the Bandra Kurla Complex to pay for the service following your passport interview.  If you are renewing your passport by mail, please enclose a prepaid courier envelope or the demand draft and address form with your application.
• You will be notified by email when your new passport arrives at the Consulate. You can expect to receive your new passport via courier delivery two to three days later.  You may send questions about delivery arrangements to mumbaiacs@state.gov. To track the status of your passport delivery please refer website: https://www.vfs-usa.co.in/USIndia/trackyourpassport.html 

Questions?

Email: mumbaiacs@state.gov