Single name on Indian documents - what should I do before applying for a passport?

Legal Advice Needed

I’m from India and I have only a single name (“Potato”) on all my documents and IDs since birth. I’m about to apply for my first passport and I recently learned that single-name passports can cause issues because many visa and immigration systems require both a given name and surname. This can lead to things like FNU/LNU on visas, airline booking mismatches, extra clarification during visa processing, and often visa rejection.

One workaround I’ve seen mentioned is entering the same name in both fields when applying for the passport (e.g., Given Name: Potato, Surname: Potato) even though my other documents like Aadhaar would still just say Potato. Is it even feasible?

I'm a little scared of lengthy name changing process and related discrepancies i might face in future for jobs etc., with my goal still wanting to keep maximum flexibility for future travel (tourist, study, or work visas), what would be the best approach and other convenient alternatives before applying for a passport? Any experiences or advice would really help.

Posted Mar 5, 2026, 4:55 PM UTC

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