Annexure D for Indian Passports: What It Is, How to Fill It, Notarization (2026)

What is Annexure D? (Declaration for minor Indian passport applications)

Annexure D's official title on Passport Seva is "Specimen Declaration by Applicant's Parent(s) or Guardian for Issue of Passport to Minor." It is executed on plain paper, which means there is no stamp paper or franking requirement. The form itself is short. The parents or guardian declare two things: that the child is an Indian citizen, and that they take full responsibility for the child's expenses.

The citizenship declaration is the legally weighty part. The form's own wording, per Passport Seva, reads:

That sentence matters more than it looks. If your child has acquired US citizenship, they are no longer eligible for an Indian passport, and signing this declaration anyway is a false declaration. The form warns that a false declaration can trigger passport impounding or revocation and criminal proceedings under the Passports Act, 1967 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. If your family's citizenship situation is anything other than straightforward (child born in the US, pending naturalization, OCI questions), sort that out before you sign, and confirm with your consulate.

When Annexure D is required, and when it is not

Annexure D applies only to minor applicants, meaning the passport holder is under 18. It comes up in three common situations for Indian families in the US:

1. A child's first Indian passport (typically a child born in the US to Indian parents who has not acquired US citizenship).
2. Re-issue of a minor's passport that is expiring. Minor passports are issued with shorter validity, so this happens more often than parents expect. Our minor passport renewal guide covers the full flow.
3. Re-issue after the passport is exhausted of pages, damaged, or lost.

The VFS Global USA minor re-issue checklist lists Annexure D, Annexure C (where applicable), and Annexure E among the required documents for a minor re-issue.

Adults renewing their own passports do not file Annexure D. If you are the one renewing, start with the Indian passport renewal in the USA pillar guide instead.

How to fill Annexure D, field by field (with ARN)

Fill the online application on the Global Passport Seva portal first. The current Annexure D format includes an ARN (Application Reference Number) field, and you only get an ARN after submitting the online form. Filling the annexure before you have an ARN is one of the most common ordering mistakes.

Here is every field on the current format and what goes in it:

Practical notes:

• Match the application exactly. Names, spellings, and the date of birth on Annexure D must match the online application and the child's documents. A one-letter mismatch is enough for VFS to flag the file.
• Use the passport number as the ID where you can. The form accepts several IDs, but for parents applying from the US the passport number is the cleanest choice because VFS already has copies of both parents' passports in the file.
• Type it if possible. Some notary services report that VFS prefers typed annexures over handwritten ones, though handwritten forms are reportedly accepted. This is not stated on the official checklist, so treat legibility as the real requirement and confirm with your consulate if unsure.
• Do not sign yet. Signatures, date, and place belong in front of the notary.

Both-parent signature rules: one parent abroad, single parent, legal guardian

The default rule is strict. Per the Consulate General of India, San Francisco FAQ, a notarized Annexure D signed by both parents is mandatory for minor applications. Consulate checklists also generally require both parents to sign the application form itself, so confirm the signature requirements on your consulate's current checklist. Plan for two signatures in two places, not one.

Real families are rarely that tidy, so here are the common variations:

• One parent outside the US. The commonly reported and accepted approach is that the absent parent signs their own copy of Annexure D and has it notarized by a notary public in the country where they are (in India, for example), and also provides a notarized No Objection letter, which the parent in the US submits along with the application. Confirm the exact requirement with your consulate or VFS before the appointment.
• One parent refuses consent. The applying parent submits Annexure C instead of a second Annexure D signature. Annexure C is the declaration used when the other parent's consent is not available.
• Legal guardian instead of parents. A legal guardian can sign Annexure D, but a copy of the court order appointing the guardian must be attached.
• Other custody situations (divorce, separation, sole custody orders). Consulate checklists reference additional annexures for specific custody scenarios, and the requirements vary by consulate. Confirm the exact annexure with your consulate before the appointment rather than guessing.

Notarizing Annexure D in the US: where, and what the notary stamps

Any US notary public can notarize Annexure D. Common options: your bank branch (many notarize free for account holders), UPS Store locations, public libraries in some states, and online notarization platforms where your state permits them. Fees vary by state and provider, so check before you go.

What actually happens at the notarization:

1. Both parents appear with the filled but unsigned annexure and government-issued photo ID.
2. Each parent signs in front of the notary, and fills in the date and place fields at that time.
3. The notary completes the acknowledgment, stamps, and signs.

If both parents cannot appear together, ask the notary whether separate acknowledgments on the same document are acceptable in your state, or use two copies (one per parent), each notarized. The one-parent-abroad flow described above is the documented version of this for international splits.

Keep the notarized original plus a photocopy. VFS collects documents at the appointment, and you want a record of what you handed over.

Common Annexure D mistakes that put VFS applications on hold

Based on the official checklists and the consulate FAQ, these are the failure modes to check before your appointment:

• Only one parent signed. The single most common gap. Both signatures on the annexure, and consulate checklists generally require both parents' signatures on the application form itself, so verify that on your consulate's current checklist.
• Not notarized, or notarized after signing at home. Signing before you reach the notary can invalidate the acknowledgment depending on the notary's process.
• Missing or wrong ARN. Filling the annexure before submitting the online application, or copying the ARN with a digit off.
• Details that do not match the application. Name spellings, date of birth, or passport numbers that differ from the online form or the parents' passports.
• Old format. Downloading a years-old Annexure D from a third-party site. Use the current Passport Seva PDF.
• Missing court order when a legal guardian signs instead of the parents.
• Wrong photo size on the same application. Not an annexure issue, but it sinks minor applications constantly. Prints are accepted at either 51x51 mm (2x2 inch) or 35x45 mm, since VFS checklists vary, so match the checklist PDF in your package; the digital upload on the Passport Seva portal must be 35x45 mm at 630x810 pixels, and a square 2x2 inch file is rejected there.

If VFS has already emailed you that your application is on hold, our guide to fixing a VFS passport application on hold walks through the correction flow.

Annexure D vs Annexure E vs Annexure C: which one applies to you

The annexure letters confuse everyone, partly because older formats used different letters for the same declarations. Current usage for US applications:

Annexure E's official title on Passport Seva is "Specimen Declaration of the Applicant on a Plain Paper." It is signed by the applicant only. For a minor application, the VFS minor checklist lists Annexure E as a required document; how the signature is handled for a young child is not spelled out on the form itself, so confirm with your consulate whether a parent signs on the minor's behalf.

For the full document stack beyond the annexures, see the Indian passport renewal documents checklist.

Where to download Annexure D (official links only)

Download the current formats directly from Passport Seva:

• Annexure D: passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/pdf/AnnexureD.pdf (one-page PDF)
• Annexure E: passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/pdf/AnnexureE.pdf

The VFS Global USA checklists link to the same annexure formats, so the version on the VFS checklist PDF and the Passport Seva version should match. Skip third-party form-filler sites: the annexure is free, and stale formats are a documented rejection cause.

While you are budgeting: the US government fee for a minor passport is $90 to $125 depending on the child's age and passport validity ($90 under 15, $125 for ages 15 to 18), plus a $2 ICWF contribution and a $19 VFS service fee, and card payments add 3.75%. Fees change, so confirm the current amount on the VFS USA fee page when you apply.