The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday liberalised rules to make the passport application procedure easier for new applicants.

A statement from the Ministry said that new applicants born after January 26, 1989 are no longer required to submit a birth certificate as a proof for date of birth; instead they can either submit a birth certificate, transfer certificate, PAN card, Aadhar card of the applicant, service record (in case retired from government job), driving license, voter id or policy bond issued by the Life Insurance Corporation of India.

Further, addressing a long pending public request, the Ministry has also said that online applicants can provide the name of one parent alone in case of a single parent family, adding that including the name of the parent or guardian in the passport was a choice given to the applicant and not mandatory.

The Ministry has also stated that couples need not submit a divorce certificate nor mention the name of the spouse, if the applicant is divorced.

“Orphaned children can submit a letter from the head of the orphanage mentioning the date of birth of the child. In case of adopted children, the one who adopted the child can give a written statement on a plain paper,” the statement said.

Sadhus or sanyasis, who wish to use their guru’s name as the name of parent of guardian, can use an identity card provided by the government in which the name of the guru is mentioned in the parent or guardian column.