British Indian passport

Last updated
British Indian passport
BIpassport.jpg
The front cover of a British Indian passport.
Type Passport
Issued by British Raj Red Ensign.svg Indian Empire
PurposeIdentification

The British Indian passport was a passport, proof of national status and travel document issued to British subjects of British India (officially mentioned as the Indian Empire), British subjects from other parts of the British Empire, and the subjects of the British protected states in the Indian subcontinent (i. e. the British Protected Persons of the 'princely states'). The title of the state stamped on the outside cover but not inside the passport was the "Indian Empire", [1] which covered all of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar (Burma).

Contents

The use of the passport was discontinued after the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, and its bearers were entitled to opt for Indian, Pakistani or British nationality.

History

The use of passports was introduced to British India after the First World War. [2]

The Indian Passport Act of 1920 required the use of passports, established controls on the foreign travel of Indians, and foreigners travelling to and within the provinces of India. [3] The passport was based on the format agreed upon by the 1920 League of Nations International Conference on Passports. [4]

However, the British Indian passport had very limited usage, being valid for travel only within areas governed by the British Empire, Italian Empire, Switzerland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Spain, Norway, Sweden and Dutch Empire. [5]

Muhammad Ali Jinnah's passport issued by the Indian government. Quaid passport burhan.jpg
Muhammad Ali Jinnah's passport issued by the Indian government.

Issuance

A stamp on a British Indian Passport. Britishindianpassportvisastamp.jpg
A stamp on a British Indian Passport.

A British Indian passport could be issued to persons who were British subjects by birth, naturalisation, a British protected person or the spouse or widow of such persons. The passports were issued by the passport offices run by provincial governments and were valid for five years after issue. In 1922, applicants were charged INR 1 to receive a new passport. [6] The price was raised to INR 3 by 1933.

1931 passport application, by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Gandhi passport.jpg
1931 passport application, by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Physical appearance

Official note from the Viceroy of India on the first page of the British Indian passport. BIpassport2.jpg
Official note from the Viceroy of India on the first page of the British Indian passport.

The cover of passport was of navy blue colour with the emblem of the British Empire (i.e. the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom) emblazoned on the front cover. The word "British Indian Passport" was printed above the emblem and "Indian Empire" printed below. The text of the passport was printed in English and French. Other details were hand-written.

Bearer details

The passport includes the following details describing the bearer:

The passports also included the photographs of the bearer and accompanying spouse. Latter half of the passport book was allocated for the visa and port of entry and departure stamps.

Passport note

Last page of the passport describing the rules and regulations BIpassport3.jpg
Last page of the passport describing the rules and regulations

The passport contains a note from the Governor General that is addressed to the authorities of all other states, identifying the bearer as a citizen of that state and requesting that he or she be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms. The note inside of Indian Passports states:

These are to request and require in the name of the Viceroy and Governor-General of India all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford him every assistance and protection of which he or she may stand in need.

By the order of the Viceroy and Governor-General of India.

The note bearing page is stamped and signed by the issuing passport officer with the provincial government of the place of issue.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passport</span> Documents for international travel issued by national governments

A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid and protection, and obtain consular assistance from their government. In addition to facilitating travel, passports are a key mechanism for border security and regulating migration; they may also serve as official identification for various domestic purposes.

Indian nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds Indian nationality. The two primary pieces of legislation governing these requirements are the Constitution of the Republic of India and the Citizenship Act, 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian nationality law</span>

Australian nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of Australia. The primary law governing nationality regulations is the Australian Citizenship Act 2007, which came into force on 1 July 2007 and is applicable in all states and territories of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British passport</span> Passport issued to British nationals

The British passport is a travel document issued by the United Kingdom or other British dependencies and territories to individuals holding any form of British nationality. It grants the bearer international passage in accordance with visa requirements and serves as proof of UK citizenship. It also facilitates access to consular assistance from British embassies around the world. Passports are issued using royal prerogative, which is exercised by His Majesty's Government; this means that the grant of a passport is a privilege, not a right, and may be withdrawn in some circumstances. British citizen passports have been issued in the UK by His Majesty's Passport Office, an agency of the Home Office, since 2014. All passports issued in the UK since 2006 have been biometric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian passport</span> Passport issued to Australian citizens

An Australian passport is a travel document issued by the Commonwealth of Australia to individuals holding any form of Australian nationality. An Australian passport application is the most expensive at AU$412 within the world since January 1, 2025. It grants the bearer international passage in accordance with visa requirements and serves as both a form of identification and proof of Australian citizenship. It also facilitates access to consular assistance from Australian embassies around the world. Passports are issued in accordance with the Australian Passports Act 2005 by the Australian Passport Office, an agency of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). As of July 2024, Australian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 188 countries and territories, ranking the passport eighth in the world for travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian passport</span> Passport of the Republic of India issued to Indian citizens

The Indian passport is a passport issued by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India to Indian citizens for the purpose of international travel. It enables the bearer to travel internationally and serves as proof of the Republic of India citizenship as per the Passports Act (1967). The Passport Seva unit of the Consular, Passport & Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs functions as the issuing authority and is responsible for issuing Indian passports on application to all eligible Indian citizens. Indian passports are issued at 93 passport offices located across India and at 197 Indian diplomatic missions abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travel document</span> Identity document issued by a government or international entity

A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international entity pursuant to international agreements to enable individuals to clear border control measures. Travel documents usually assure other governments that the bearer may return to the issuing country, and are often issued in booklet form to allow other governments to place visas as well as entry and exit stamps into them.

Singapore nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds Singapore nationality. The primary law governing nationality requirements is the Constitution of Singapore, which came into force on 9 August 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentine passport</span> Passport of Argentine republic issued to Argentine citizens

An Argentine passportpronounced[pˌasapˈoɾteˌaɾxentˈino] ) are issued to citizens of Argentina by the National Registry for People (ReNaPer). They were issued exclusively by the Argentine Federal Police up to 2011. Their primary use is to facilitate international travel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkish passport</span> Passport of the Republic of Turkey issued to Turkish citizens.

Turkish passport are issued in accordance with the Passport Act from 15 July 1950 to Turkish citizens to travel abroad. Citizens of the de facto state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are also eligible to apply for a Turkish passport. Passports issued since 1 June 2010 are biometric and valid for up to 10 years. The Turkish ordinary passport is the 46th most powerful passport in the world according to the Henley Passport Index, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to 116 countries. Also Turkish special passport ranked 16th place in the world with visa-free or visa-on arrival travel to 158 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistani passport</span> Passport issued to Pakistani nationals

The Pakistani passport is an passport issued by the government of Pakistan to its citizens for international travel purposes. The Directorate General of Immigration & Passports holds the responsibility for passport issuance, under the regulation of the Ministry of Interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch passport</span> Passport issued from the Kingdom of the Netherlands

A Dutch passport is an identity document issued to citizens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the purpose of international travel. As the Netherlands only distinguish one category of citizen, for all countries in the Kingdom, passports are the same for all four countries. The passport also serves as a means of identification as required by the Dutch law since 1 January 2005 for all persons over the age of fourteen. Dutch passports are valid for a period of ten years from issuing date. The passport complies with the rules for European Union passports. Since 26 August 2006 all passports are issued as a biometric passport with an embedded contactless smartcard RFID chip for storing biometric data. Every Dutch citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The nationality allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area, and Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Macedonian passport</span> Passport of the Republic of North Macedonia issued to North Macedonian citizens

The North Macedonian passport is issued to citizens of North Macedonia for the purpose of international travel. Responsibility for their issuance lies with the Ministry of the Interior. The validity of the passport is 5 years for persons 4 to 27 years of age and 10 years for those 27 years of age and older. For children ages four and under, the validity of the passport is limited to two years. The passports conform to the recommended standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and are biometric passports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladeshi passport</span> E-Passport of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh

The Bangladeshi passport is an ICAO compliant, machine-readable and biometric e-passport issued for the purpose of travel to foreign countries by the passport holder. Bangladesh is the first country in South Asia to issue e-passports for all eligible citizens. The passport booklet is manufactured, printed and issued by the Department of Immigration & Passports of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This electronic microprocessor chip embedded e-passport has forty-one different security features, including holographic images embossed in thin-film laminate, which change colour under light and appear to move. Demographic and biometric information of the e-passport holder are stored on the chip inside the e-passport. This information includes the fingerprints of all ten fingers of the passport holder; the iris scan of both eyes; a color photograph of the face of the bearer; their digital signature; etc. Depending on the age of the applicant, the e-passport is valid for either five years or ten years and it is distributed by the Government of The People's Republic of Bangladesh, or by any of its overseas diplomatic missions, to eligible Bangladeshi nationals who are citizens by birth, by descent or through naturalization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myanmar passport</span> Passport of Myanmar issued to Burmese citizens

The Myanmar passport is the passport issued to citizens of Myanmar, formerly Burma, for the purpose of international travel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistani nationality law</span>

Pakistani nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of Pakistan. The primary law governing these requirements is the Pakistan Citizenship Act, 1951, which came into force on 13 April 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladeshi nationality law</span>

The nationality law of Bangladesh governs the issues of citizenship and nationality of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The law regulates the nationality and citizenship status of all people who live in Bangladesh as well as all people who are of Bangladeshi descent. It allows the children of expatriates, foreigners as well as residents in Bangladesh to examine their citizenship status and if necessary, apply for and obtain citizenship of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo passport</span>

The Kosovo passport is a travel document that is issued by the Interior Ministry of Kosovo to the citizens of Kosovo to enable them to travel abroad. The passports are also used as proof of identity within the country, along with the national identity card.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overseas Citizenship of India</span> Category of Indian nationality law

Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is a form of permanent residency available to people of Indian origin which allows them to live and work in India indefinitely. It allows the cardholders a lifetime entry to the country along with benefits such as being able to own land and make other investments in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fijian nationality law</span>

Fijian nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of Fiji. The primary law governing nationality requirements is the Citizenship of Fiji Act 2009, which came into force on 10 April 2009.

References

  1. "Dominions 1931-1947". Historical Atlas of the British Empire. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  2. MumbaiSpace Indian Passport History Archived October 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 (No. 34 of 1920)
  4. "History of Passports". Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  5. Vazira Fazila-Yacoobali Zamindar (2007). The Long Partition and the Making of Modern South Asia. Columbia University Press. p. 162. ISBN   978-0-231-13846-8.
  6. The Times of India Directory and Year Book, Including Who's who. Bennett, Coleman & Company. 1922. p. 775.