How to Fill Out an Affidavit for Change of Appearance and Signature

The affidavit for change in appearance and signature is a short notarized declaration that VFS Global requires from every applicant renewing or applying for an Indian passport in the United States, whether or not anything about your looks or signature has actually changed.¹ The form runs one page. Getting it wrong, though, costs you the whole application.

Who Has to Submit It

VFS Global lists this affidavit as mandatory across the board: adults re-issuing a passport, minors applying for fresh or re-issued passports, and Tatkal (urgent) applicants.² The common assumption that you only need it when you look visibly different from your passport photo is wrong. You still complete it when nothing has changed; you simply say so on the form.

If your appearance has changed noticeably (a new or removed beard, a different hairstyle, other visible changes), the affidavit is where you formally declare that and confirm you are still the same person shown in your existing passport.³

What to Have Ready

Pull these together before you start filling anything in:

Your current passport, because you’ll copy the passport number, date of issue, and place of issue onto the form.
A recent 2 inch by 2 inch (51 mm × 51 mm) color photograph on a plain white background.⁴
A valid government-issued photo ID for the notary appointment (driver’s license or passport).
A black ink pen if you’re filling the form by hand.

Download the current version of the form directly from the VFS Global passport services page or from your consulate’s website.² Print a fresh copy. Don’t reuse or photocopy an old one.

Filling Out the Form

The form is a single page.⁵

Personal Details

At the top, write your full legal name exactly as it appears on your current passport. Add the relationship line (son/daughter/wife of) and your parent’s or spouse’s name. Then your current residential address, passport number, date of issue, and place of issue. Every character has to match the passport. A dropped middle name or a small spelling variation is enough to hold up processing.

The Two Declaration Statements

The form contains two numbered lines with “has / has not” phrasing:

Statement 1: “That my appearance has / has not changed.”
Statement 2: “That my signature has / has not changed.”

Strike through whichever option doesn’t apply on each line. If your appearance is unchanged, cross out “has” and leave “has not.” If it has changed, do the opposite. Leaving both intact makes the declaration ambiguous, and the form will not be accepted that way. Answer honestly. Even a slight change from the current passport photo should be declared as a change.

Photo and Signature

Paste the 2×2 photograph in the space provided. Sign next to it using the signature you intend to use on the new passport. If your signature has actually changed (after marriage, for instance), this is the version you’re establishing going forward. Fill in the date and place at the bottom. Do not sign the main body of the affidavit yet, and leave the notarization block entirely blank. The notary fills that in.

Photo Specifications

The photo pasted on the affidavit follows the same rules as the passport application photo:⁴

Size 2 inches × 2 inches (51 mm × 51 mm), color.
Plain white background, no shadows on the face or behind you.
Full face, front view, eyes open, head not tilted.
Head height 1 inch to 1⅜ inches (25 mm to 35 mm) from top of hair to bottom of chin.
Colored clothing (a medium blue shirt is a safe choice). Avoid white, patterned, or textured tops.
No head coverings unless worn for religious reasons, and even then the face must be fully visible from chin to forehead.
Printed on thin photo paper, clear, with no visible pixels or dot patterns.

For children under ten, the head-height and eye rules are relaxed somewhat.⁴

Getting It Notarized

The affidavit has no effect until a notary public witnesses your signature, administers the oath, and applies the seal. Sign in front of the notary, not before you arrive.³ Bring a valid government-issued photo ID so the notary can verify who you are.

The notary also has to sign and emboss (or stamp) the photograph pasted on the form. That step confirms the photo was present when the notarization happened and has not been swapped afterward. If the notary skips the photo, the affidavit will be rejected.³

Check the Notary Stamp Expiry

VFS Global specifically warns that the expiry date on the notary’s commission stamp must not be manually corrected or overwritten.¹ Before you leave the notary’s counter, look at the stamp. If the commission date is expired, or has been altered by hand, don’t accept the document. Find a different notary whose commission is current. An affidavit stamped by an expired or hand-corrected commission is rejected outright.

Affidavits for Children

Minors need this affidavit too.⁶ For a child under 18, a parent fills out and signs the affidavit on the child’s behalf. The minor should sign or write their name in the designated space if they are old enough. Children under five may use a left thumb impression. One parent’s signature is enough on the affidavit itself, though both parents sign the main passport application form. Every family member, adults and children alike, needs a separate notarized affidavit.

Submitting It

The affidavit is not filed on its own. It goes into your passport application package with the completed application form, your current passport, photographs, proof of address, and whatever else your application type requires.¹ Submit the original notarized affidavit. Photocopies are not accepted. Schedule the notary visit before your VFS Global appointment so you’re not chasing it at the last minute.

Errors That Get the Affidavit Rejected

Most rejections come from a small set of avoidable problems:

Name on the affidavit not matching the passport exactly, including missing middle names or spelling differences.
Signing the affidavit before meeting the notary. The notary has to watch you sign.
No notary signature or embossment across the pasted photograph.
Notary commission stamp that is expired or has hand-corrected dates.⁷
A photograph that is the wrong size, has a non-white background, or shows the applicant in white clothing.
Both “has” and “has not” left uncrossed on the declaration statements, leaving the form ambiguous.

1
VFS Global. Re-issue of Passport – Mandatory Documents (Adult)
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VFS Global. Passport Information – VFS Global
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Consulate General of India, Vancouver. Affidavit for Change of Appearance
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VFS Global. Requirement of Photograph for Passport / VISA / OCI
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VFS Global. Affidavit for Change in Appearance and Signature
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VFS Global. Re-issue of Passport – Mandatory Documents (Minor)
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VFS Global. Re-issue of Passport – Mandatory Documents (Adult)