Here is my experience of US passport renewal in-person at the US Consulate in Chennai, India. We have visited recently (29th Dec, 2017) to renew my kids passport and also mine.
You need to take an appointment before hand for the date & time you would like to go there. Usually, you can get an appointment in a week's time. Make sure to add who are all accompanying for the interview while taking appointment.
I have found the following list pasted over there which covers all the documents that one should carry and keep them in this order.
Documents that need to carry and keep them in the following order for child's passport renewal..
- DS-11 Printed copy with your 2X2 photo stapled in there.
- Copy of applicant's passport
- Copy of Birth Certificate - The one that is issued in US
- Copy of the passport bio page of both parents
- DS-3053 if applicable
- Completed Courier Slip - You can buy this at the small counter in the waiting hall inside the US Consulate
- Demand Drafts for the fees - You can also pay by cash, credit card in INR or USD
- Original passport and birth certificate of the applicant - They will be returned back after verification. Passports will be cancelled by punching holes in it
- Original passport of parents
- Additional Supporting documents - I didn't have to carry anything. I guess, it is for some special cases.
Note: For adults passport renewal, carry the print out of DS-82 instead of DS-11. You don't need #4 that is parents passports.
You can reach the embassy by taxi or your own private vehicle. There is some roadside parking behind the Saravana Bhavan restaurant
We walked to the consulate after parking our car. It has two entrances: one that is on Anna Salai is for the Visa appointments and usually you will see lot of folks waiting over there. For citizenship services, you need to enter through the Cathedral Road gate. Security at the gate will check your appointment printed copy and issue one token slip with a number on it.
After taking the token, you will be directed to go through the metallic scanner where they ask you to deposit all electronics like phones, tablets, computers, keys etc. They give you a separate token for claiming those back on your return. For adults, they issue some visitor badges to wear on.
After taking the badges, you will be directed to enter into the embassy building and directed to wait at the waiting room. You can take the fedex courier slips there. They charge Rs.450/- for passport, Rs.550/- for passport card. Wait until your turn comes.
Once your turn comes up, you will go there to show all the documents and pay the fees as per your situation. You will be asked to wait in the room until called by the Consulate person.
Consulate person calls again to actually verify the application and take a oath stating that all the information provided is correct. We were asked to sign the application in front the embassy person. That's all. You will be asked to leave and passports will be arriving in 3-4 weeks time by Fedex.
I was bit skeptical on what to expect for the interview. However, I can confidently say now that it is a very pleasant experience and quite delightful to say the least.
We spend an hour in the library there which is open for all public. They do offer annual & bi-annual memberships and you can request books online. For more details, send mail.
Wish you all great experience at the US consulate as well.
Some related reference links:
- Consulate email: Chennaics@state.gov and phone: [91] 44 2857-4000
- Consulate Address:
U.S. Citizen ServicesConsulate General of the United States of AmericaCathedral Road Entrance220 Anna Salai at Gemini CircleChennai 600006
- Chennai Consulate https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/chennai/
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