All About The ECR Passports | Emigration Check Required

In order to protect the vulnerable sections of the society, such as the illiterate workers or labors, children etc. the Office of the Protector of the Emigrants, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has introduced a new category for such citizens while applying for a Passport. The Category is nothing but the Emigration Check Required (ECR) Category.

The Emigration Check Required Passport is mainly issued to those applicants who have not cleared or passed their 10th grades officially in the Indian Education System.

Some Important Links Related To Indian Passport

Apply For Indian Passport

Change Address In Passport

Passport Renewal

Passport Application Status

Tatkal Passport

Non ECR Passport

ECR Passport

The ECR Passports are required for those Indians who wish to travel to different countries in search of employment. It is a required status for the junior citizens who did not clear their 10th exam or high school standard graduation exam.

The Citizens who are applying for the ECR Passports has to go through the Immigration Office who would certify that these citizens are clear and are eligible to leave the country and there are no restrictions on them. Even a senior citizen can also apply for an ECR Passport if he/she has not cleared the 10th-grade exam. The ECR Status will be printed in the passports of the applicants who fall under the ECR Category.

Countries that allow the ECR Passports Citizens

1. Yemen
2. Saudi Arab
3. Thailand
4. UAE
5. Syria
6. Sudan
7. Qatar
8. Malaysia
9. Lebanon
10. Jordan
11. Iraq
12. Indonesia
13. Brunei
14. Bahrain
15. Afghanistan
16. Oman
17. Kuwait
18. Libya

The following people are not subjected to the Emigration Check Required Passport even if they travel to the above-mentioned countries:

• Gazetted and Diplomatic Passport Holders
• Gazetted Officers
• Income Tax Payers
• Professional Degree Holders such as Engineers, Doctors Etc.
• Dependent children and spouse of professional degree holders Etc.
• People who have passed 10th standard and above.
• Sea cadets and Seamen having CDS who have passed the finals of Nautical Science (3 years course) from the institutes mentioned below.
• Rehman
• Chanakya
• Jawahar
• NIPM, Chennai
• MTI, Chennai
• People who hold visas for a permanent immigration like Visas for the US, UK, and Australia.
• People holding a degree or diploma in Polytechnic
• Individuals who hold a diploma in nursing under the Indian Nursing Council Act 1947.
• People who are above the age of 50 years.
• The individuals who have spent their three years overseas with their spouses.
• Children below the age of 18 years with one or both parents.

Documents Required

Proof of Date of Birth Documents

• Birth Certificate issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths or the Municipal Corporation or any other prescribed authority, whosoever has been empowered under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 to register the birth of a child born in India.
• Transfer/ School Leaving/ Matriculation Certificate issued by the School last attended/ recognized educational board.
• Policy Bond issued by the Public Life Insurance Corporations/ Companies having the Date of Birth of the holder of the insurance policy.
• Copy of an extract of the service record of the applicant (only in respect of Government Servants) or the Pay Pension Order (in respect of the retired Government servants, duly attested/ certified by the officer/ in-charge of the Administration of the concerned Ministry/ Department of the applicant.
• Aadhaar Card/ E-Aadhaar
• Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission of India.
• PAN Card issued by the Income Tax Department.
• Driving License issued by the Transport Department of Concerned State Government.
• A declaration was given by the Head of the Orphanage/ Child Care Home on their official letterhead of the organization confirming the Date of Birth of the applicant.

Proof of Address Documents

• Water bill
• Telephone bill (landline or postpaid bill)
• Electricity Bill
• Income Tax Assessment Order
• Election Commission Photo Identity Card
• Proof of Gas Connection
• Certificate from the Employer of reputed companies on the letterhead
• Spouse’s passport copy (first and last page including the family details mentioning applicant’s name as the spouse of the Passport Holder, provided by the applicant’s present address matches the address mentioned in the Spouse’s passport.
• Parent’s Passport Copy, in case of Minors. (First and Last Page)
• Aadhaar Card
• Rent Agreement
• Photo Passbook of running Bank Account (Scheduled Public Sector Banks, Scheduled Private Sector Indian Banks, and Regional Rural Banks only)
• How to check whether the Passport is ECR or Non-ECR
• If the passports are issued before Jan 2017 and if there are no endorsements/notations on the second page of the notification then your Passport is denoted as ECR.

Mandatory Documents

1. Demand Letter
2. Employment Contract
3. Copy of Visa
4. Copy of first and last page of Passport
5. Copy of Aadhaar Card
6. Copy of PBBY Policy
7. Copy of 20 Lakhs Life Insurance Policy (Mandatory if incase destination country is Libya)
8. Affidavits, as applicable as per the jurisdiction PoE office

How to Apply for the ECR Passport

Step by step procedure to apply for an ECR Passport

• Open emigrate public website- emigrate.gov.in
• Go to the Emigrant section and apply for the registration for the ECR Countries and under that option select the option Employer not registered on eMigrate System.
• After selecting, the option the Emigrant Registration Form opens:
  • Name of the employer
  • Select the Employment Country from the given list
  • Emigrant’s Passport Number
  • Enter the captcha code/ image

It can be the case where the information is already saved in the system (if some emigrant has entered the same employer details in the past). In such case, the system displays the employer details whose name sounds similar to the entered employer name.

• Now select the row and click next to proceed and update the selected employer details if required.
• Fill in the rest emigrant registration form which consists of the following details:
  • Employment Details (after filling the details click save and next and move to the next screen)
  • Passport Details (after filling the details click save and next and move to the next screen)
  • Visa and Insurance Details (after filling the details click save and next and move to the next screen)
  • Personal Details (after the filling of details click save and next and move to the next screen)
  • Travel Details (after filling the details click save and next and move to the next screen)
  • Contact details (after filling the details click save and next and move to next screen)
• Now upload the required documents
• Next step is the payment. The emigration form allows two payment procedures: Online Payment (debit card/credit card/net banking) OR Click Challan to make the payment in cash. The eMigrate System generates the bank challan.
• A confirmation page appears which displays that you have successfully made the payment.
• The Confirmation page comprises of the following information:
  • Application Reference Number (ARN generated by the system)
  • Option to download the filled application form in pdf format (file)
  • Option to download the payment receipt/bank challan in pdf format (file)

Suspension of ECR Status

If you are planning to travel to any one of the ECR Countries for any purpose other than the employment then you need to submit the following documents:

• Filled in application form
• A fee of Rs 400
• Visa Copy
• Original Passport and a copy of the passport
• Copy of the return tickets
• Attested sponsorship declaration from Indian Consulate/ Mission
• FTS
• Address Proof