A Minor's Indian Passport and Parental Consent in 2026: What You Need When One Parent Won't Sign
By Gagandeep SinghUpdated Editorial standards
It is 9pm in Leicester and a mother is staring at a half-finished passport form on her kitchen table. Her daughter's Indian passport expired three months ago, the family wants to travel to Hyderabad this summer, and the renewal needs the father's signature. Except the father moved out eighteen months ago, communication runs through solicitors, and the last message about "signing anything" was not a friendly one. The VFS appointment is on Thursday.
If any part of that feels familiar, this is the page for you. Consent is the single most common reason a minor's Indian passport application stalls at the counter, and it is almost always fixable — if you bring the correct annexure. The annexures are also the most consistently misreported part of the Indian passport system, because they were renumbered a decade ago and half the internet never noticed.
Which Indian passport service do I need?
Four questions. We'll tell you which application you're actually filing, what it costs at VFS, and what usually goes wrong.
For the full document checklist, fees and appointment mechanics for a child's renewal, see our parent's guide to minor passport renewal in the UK. This post is about the forms themselves.
The three annexures every minor application touches
- Annexure D — the declaration by parent(s) or guardian. Mandatory on every minor application, first passport or renewal. Both parents sign in the ordinary case.
- Annexure E — the general declaration required of every applicant, adults included. For a minor, a parent signs it on the child's behalf. It is the form nobody talks about and the one most often left at home.
- Annexure C — the declaration used where a parent's consent cannot be obtained. It is not a "the other parent could not come to the appointment" form.
Get those three straight and most consent problems dissolve. The rest of this page is about the one that causes trouble.
Annexure D: the default, and it has no exceptions
Annexure D is the ordinary parental declaration. There is no minor route that skips it — not a first passport, not a re-issue, not a lost-passport replacement. In a two-parent family this is a non-event: both parents sign, both attend the VFS appointment with the child, done.
What surprises people is that a parent being abroad does not remove Annexure D. If the other parent is contactable and willing, they sign Annexure D remotely — supported, where the mission asks for it, by a sworn affidavit executed at a regional passport office in India or at an Indian mission abroad. That is the normal case for split-country families, and it is still an Annexure D case.
Annexure C: only where consent cannot be obtained
This is the whole point of the post, so it is worth being blunt about it.
The test is whether consent can be obtained, not where the parent is standing.
Annexure C is a declaration that the other parent's consent has not been given and cannot be secured. Its own tick-box grounds include "Residing abroad and unable to provide consent" and "Travelling abroad and unable to provide consent" — which is exactly why people misread it. Those grounds describe a parent who is overseas and unreachable or unwilling, not one who is simply overseas.
Filing Annexure C when both parents actually agree tells the mission that consent was withheld. That converts a routine renewal into a contested-consent case, and it will normally come back for clarification. Weeks lost, appointment gone, travel dates at risk. Overseas but contactable and willing means Annexure D signed remotely. Overseas and genuinely unreachable, or unwilling, means Annexure C.
| Your situation | Annexure D | Annexure C |
|---|---|---|
| Both parents agree and are available | Yes | No |
| One parent overseas but contactable and willing | Yes, signed remotely | No |
| One parent unreachable or unwilling | Not sufficient on its own | Yes |
| Custody disputed or a court order exists | Not sufficient on its own | With the sealed order |
| UK attestation needed | No | Yes, a UK Notary Public |
The genuine UK divergence: a notary, not a solicitor
In India, Annexures C and D need no attestation — they are plain-paper self-declarations. From the UK, Annexure C must be notarised by a UK Notary Public, and a solicitor is explicitly not accepted. You also need a notarised letter setting out the circumstances, unless you are producing a custody order instead.
That divergence is real, it is not widely published, and it is the thing that catches parents who have already read three Indian-domestic guides telling them no attestation is needed. All annexures carry your UK address.
A letter from your solicitor, a draft consent order, or a parenting agreement that has not been sealed by the court is normally not accepted as proof of who may apply for a child's passport where custody is in dispute. If a court has made an order about the children, bring the sealed order itself. If it has not, that may be the piece you need to obtain first.
Annexure E: the form nobody mentions
Annexure E is a general declaration required of every applicant of any age, adults included. For a child, a parent signs it on their behalf. It is not a consent form and it has nothing to do with which parent is signing — it simply has to be in the bundle.
It is missing from almost every guide to minor passports, which is why so many families discover it at the counter. Print it, sign it, bring it.
The 2016 renumbering, and a decade-dead trap
If you have found guidance mentioning Annexure G for a single parent, or Annexure H for a parental declaration, you are reading pre-2016 material.
The Passport (Amendment) Rules 2016, notified on 23 December 2016, substituted the entire annexure set and cut the number of affidavits from fifteen to nine, all now plain-paper self-declarations. In that renumbering:
- Old Annexure G became today's Annexure C.
- Old Annexure H became today's Annexure D.
The old Annexure E was the change-of-name and deed-poll affidavit. Today's Annexure E is an unrelated general declaration. Any page telling you "Annexure E is the deed poll form" is citing something that stopped existing in 2016 — and following it will have you bring the wrong document to a name-change application.
In today's lettering, for reference:
- C — consent could not be obtained
- D — declaration by parent(s) or guardian
- E — general declaration by every applicant
- F — how and where a passport was lost or damaged
- G — no-objection certificate
- H — prior-intimation letter
- I — surrogacy declaration
- J — joint declaration in lieu of a marriage certificate
Naming a parent and consenting are two different things
A passport can be issued naming only one parent — a genuine help for single-parent families and estranged-parent situations. That is a rule about what appears on the passport. It is not a rule about who has to consent to the application, and it does not remove a child's need for a consenting parent or guardian. Reading a headline about "only one parent's name" and assuming the consent problem has vanished is a well-worn route to a wasted appointment. (Our summary of the current passport rules has the wider picture.)
Tatkaal will not rescue a single-parent application
Worth knowing before you plan around it: Tatkaal is not accepted for single-parent minor applications. It is also not available everywhere — Tatkaal is offered at HCI London and CGI Birmingham only, not Edinburgh. Nor is it accepted for a change of name, a passport expired more than three years, an applicant without a valid UK visa, or a first passport without a birth-registration certificate.
So if you are in the difficult-consent scenario and hoping to buy speed, the answer is that you cannot. The lever you do have is bringing the correct annexure, correctly notarised, the first time.
What it costs in 2026
Indian passport fees rose on 1 July 2026 under the Passports (Amendment) Rules 2026. Every figure billed at VFS is booklet fee plus £2 ICWF plus a £29.78 VFS service fee, per applicant:
- Renewal or re-issue, child under 15 (5-year booklet): £98.78
- First passport, child under 15 (5-year booklet): £92.78 — the £61 booklet reflects the 10% discount that applies to fresh applications only for children up to age 8
- Aged 15 to 18 — the adult booklet and the adult price: £124.78 for 36 pages, £161.78 for 60
If you see £56, £63 or a £7.44 service fee quoted for a child's passport, that is either the pre-July-2026 schedule or the VFS visa-line service fee appearing on a page where it does not belong. Confirm the live figure at VFS before you pay.
A clean run, from kitchen table to passport
How a difficult-consent application should go
- Confirm the child's citizenship position first — if the child is or may become British, an Indian passport may not be the right document at all, and OCI may be.
- Apply the consent test honestly — can the other parent's consent be obtained? Willing and contactable means Annexure D signed remotely. Unreachable or unwilling means Annexure C.
- Sort the notarisation — Annexure C from the UK needs a UK Notary Public, not a solicitor, plus a notarised letter explaining the circumstances.
- Get the sealed court order if custody is disputed — before you book, not after. A solicitor's letter will not stand in for it.
- Add Annexure D and Annexure E to the bundle — D on every minor application, E on every application by anyone.
- Assemble the rest — birth certificate, both parents' passports or ID, proof of UK address dated within three months, photographs to specification.
- Book VFS and attend — the applying parent and the child attend, with originals plus copies of every annexure and court paper.
Do it yourself, or get it checked
Do it yourself if both parents will sign Annexure D, there is no court matter, and you have remembered Annexure E. The forms are free on the official portal and the process is well documented.
Get it checked if the other parent is unreachable or unwilling, there is a separation, divorce or custody dispute, you are unsure whether your case is a C or a D, or you have already been turned away once. The cost of a wrong call here is not the fee — it is a missed travel date and a re-booked appointment, and in the school-holiday months that can mean weeks.
Birth registration & passport, handled
Apply for your newborn's first Indian passport from the UK. Birth registration, application, documents, and VFS appointment included.
Turnaround: 7-30 days after VFS
If this is a renewal for an older child rather than a first passport, the same consent rules apply and the mechanics are covered in our minor passport renewal guide.
Renewed from home, VFS booked for you
Renew your Indian passport from the UK. We handle the Passport Seva application, document prep, and VFS appointment booking.
Turnaround: Standard 4-5 weeks; Tatkal 5-10 working days
India does not allow dual citizenship. If your child is or may become a British citizen, holding both passports is generally not permitted, and many UK families choose OCI for the child instead. If the child already held an Indian passport and then acquired British citizenship, that passport must be surrendered — see surrender certificates for children. Sorting this out first saves you obtaining a document you will only have to give back.
Frequently asked questions
Which annexure do I need for a minor's Indian passport?
Annexure D is the standard declaration by parent or guardian and is mandatory on every minor application, renewal or first passport. Annexure E, a general declaration required of every applicant including adults, must also be in the bundle. Annexure C is used only where a parent's consent cannot be obtained.
One parent is abroad. Is that an Annexure C case?
Not by itself. The test is whether consent can be obtained, not where the parent is. An overseas parent who is contactable and willing signs Annexure D remotely, which is the normal case. Annexure C applies where consent genuinely cannot be obtained, and its tick-box grounds cover a parent residing or travelling abroad and unable to consent.
Does Annexure C need to be notarised in the UK?
Yes. From the UK, Annexure C must be notarised by a UK Notary Public, and a solicitor is explicitly not accepted. You also need a notarised letter explaining the circumstances, unless you are producing a custody order instead. In India the same annexures need no attestation, which is why so much guidance says otherwise.
What is Annexure E, and does my child need it?
Annexure E is a general declaration required of every applicant of any age, adults included, and a parent signs it on a child's behalf. It is not a consent form and it is unrelated to which parent signs. It is missing from most guides, which is why families so often discover it at the VFS counter.
Is Annexure E the deed poll or name-change form?
No, and this is a decade-old trap. The old Annexure E was the change-of-name and deed-poll affidavit, but the Passport (Amendment) Rules 2016, notified on 23 December 2016, replaced the whole set. Today's Annexure E is an unrelated general declaration, so any page equating it with a deed poll is citing a form that no longer exists.
What happened to Annexure G and Annexure H for minors?
They were renumbered. The 2016 amendment substituted the entire annexure set and cut affidavits from fifteen to nine, all plain-paper self-declarations. Old Annexure G became today's Annexure C, and old Annexure H became today's Annexure D. Today's G is a no-objection certificate and today's H is the prior-intimation letter.
Can I use Tatkaal to speed up a single-parent application?
No. Tatkaal is not accepted for single-parent minor applications, and it is offered at HCI London and CGI Birmingham only, not Edinburgh. It is also unavailable for a change of name, a passport expired more than three years, an applicant without a valid UK visa, and a first passport without a birth-registration certificate.
What does a child's Indian passport cost in the UK in 2026?
A renewal for a child under 15 is £98.78 all-in, made up of a £67 booklet, £2 ICWF and a £29.78 VFS service fee. A first passport for a child under 15 is £92.78, the lower booklet reflecting a discount that applies to fresh applications only. From 15 the adult price applies, at £124.78 for 36 pages or £161.78 for 60.
Get this sorted properly — first time
A UK-based team who do this every day. Pick the option that fits your situation and we'll take it from here.
We confirm which annexures your case needs before you reach the VFS counter.
A minor renewal needs the same Annexure D and E bundle as a first passport.
If your child has taken British citizenship, the Indian passport must be surrendered.
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