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A passport is a document that proves your nationality in a foreign country. While digitalisation has made it easier to apply for an Indian passport, it has also increased the chances for miscreants to forge fake passports easily.
The forgers generally create counterfeit passports to use them fraudulently. Although government bodies are designated to take necessary steps to prohibit fake passport creation, the general public must be able to differentiate between a fake passport and an original one.
Below, we have enlisted everything you need to know about a fake Indian passport, including what is a fake Indian passport, major clues to identify a fake passport, and designated punishments for miscreants creating a fake passport, etc.
What is a Fake Passport?
A passport created from unfair means mimicking the appearance and legitimacy of an original passport is known as a fake passport. A fake passport depicts untrue information such as false nationality, residential address, name, date of birth, etc.
Such documents are usually created to deceive the government authorities and get involved in fraudulent activities such as crimes, crossing borders, and availing access to unauthorised rights in a country.
Individuals may usually get involved in creating fake passports to earn extra income. However, counterfeiting passports may pose serious consequences to both the forger and the fake holder. Thus, here is how to identify and avoid having a fake passport.
How to Identify a Fake Indian Passport?
Indian government keeps updating the appearance of the Indian passport to ensure difficulty for miscreants to forge fake Indian passports. Additionally, you can look for the clues below to differentiate between a fake and an original passport.
- Keep a Close Eye on the Physical Appearance. There are four types of Indian passports issued to individuals in the form of booklets. One major clue to identifying a fake passport is to check the physical appearance of the booklet. Check out the shape and size of the passport booklet. Remember that an ordinary passport has 30/60 pages; you can count the pages to spot a counterfeit passport.
- Examine the Personal Information. Information such as the passport number is unique and cannot be similar on two passports. Thus, to verify an original passport, you can check the authenticity of the passport number. You can use passport verification websites, in which you have to input the passport number and date of birth, and the database will verify whether the information is true.
- Verify the Passport Type. A specific type of passport is issued to individuals of various backgrounds. If you understand the types of passports, you can verify whether the holder has a true passport.
For instance, a maroon passport is a diplomatic passport issued to diplomats of India to ensure they do not face hassles during airport procedures. In contrast, a blue passport is issued to the general public, which may undergo lengthy airport procedures. Here, miscreants may create fake Indian passports to avail easy airport access. However, you can verify a passport's authenticity by checking out an individual's occupation and type.
- Evaluate the Bio Page: The bio page of an original passport is created with good-quality paper and ink to ensure it does not get damaged before its expiry. However, forgers may use a degraded quality to create the bio page. Thus, if you suspect a fake passport, you should look for the bio page. Closely check & compare the suspected passport with an original passport for its image quality, ink and pages used.
- Scrutinise the Passport Features: An original passport generally has unique features such as security threads, hidden codes, images, etc., which may be hard to copy. Thus, if you suspect a fake passport, you should look for these special features.
Lastly, and most importantly, you should verify a suspected passport from the officials to check whether it is fake or original.
There are instances where certain miscreants tend to steal tourists’ passports to generate fake ones. If such a thing happens to you, only one thing can undo your loss— your international travel insurance covering your expenses of the re-issuance of your passport.
How to Report a Fake Indian Passport?
There are multiple ways to report a fake Indian passport if you suspect or come across one. A few methods to report a fake Indian passport are:
- Online: You can file a report against a fake passport through the Ministry of External Affairs.
- Through the Nearest Regional Passport Office: You can contact the nearest RPO to report the suspected fake passport in person.
- Through the Local Police Station: If you cannot contact the nearest RPO, you can report the issue at your nearest police station.
- Indian Embassy: If you suspect a fake Indian passport in a foreign land, you can report it directly to the Indian embassy or at the nearest police station in your vicinity.
Summing It Up
Following the steps mentioned above, you can easily differentiate between a fake and an original passport at a primary level. However, you should immediately submit the suspected documents with all the proofs to a concerned authority for further action over a fake passport.
Additionally, we suggest you sign up for official websites rather than trusting fishy places to apply for an Indian passport. If you fail at applications, you can get help from credible sources such as the passport office authorities.
Furthermore, we recommend the original passport holders keep their passport and other personal information safe. Remember, miscreants may use your information to forge fake passports, which may further be problematic for you.
You should also secure your documents while travelling abroad and have the best travel insurance to protect your finances if you lose your passport or other documents during a trip abroad. Remember, you can retrieve your documents at the earliest if you have financial aid as travel insurance in times of need.
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