The need for a Permanent Address for Passport renewal application
Dear Lawyer,
SITUATION
My mother (widow, housekeeper) based in India is applying to renew her passport expiring in 3 months time. She is currently residing in a rented home and does not have own a house either. The rented place she is in currently was made available by a friend of mine and hence there is no rental agreement. All the billing details for this property (electricity, water, internet, gas etc) are in the land owners name. Mother's aadhar card, PAN card and previous Income Tax payment has details of her ancestral property which has been sold 5 years ago and hence not available anymore. She only has her children who are overseas and an ageing brother in India who lives in his own property.
ISSUE
On the online Passport application, there is a need to provide the below:
1. Proof of current residential address
2. A question - "Is Permanent Address available?". if you choose YES, it asks whether your current Residence is the Permanent one. If you choose NO, it doesn't ask for anything further.
Can you please let me know if a Permanent Address is mandatory for a Passport application? If no, will additional documentations or reasons provided as to why we don't have one?
Thank you so much,
Krishna