A lost passport ad requires five elements: your full name and address, the passport number and place of issue, the approximate date and place of loss, a statement that you are not liable for misuse, and your contact number. This is the format RPOs in Chennai, Mumbai, and Delhi consistently accept. Add nothing extra unless your RPO checklist specifically asks for it.

Start with the document type and roll number. Then the exam year. Then the university or issuing board. Then your name and address. End with the declaration line. A disciplined lost marksheet ad with roll number and passing year runs about 40 words — one standard classified slot in most papers.

Two lines cannot be omitted. One: the document identification line — type, number, and issuing authority. Two: the declaration — "I hereby declare the document is lost and I am not liable for any misuse." Without the second line, the ad is just an announcement and will not support a reissue application at most government offices.

Include: passport number, place of issue, year of issue, your date of birth, approximate date and location of loss, and the non-misuse declaration. Some RPOs now also ask for the file number from the original application — check your Passport Seva Kendra email, it is usually there. Never write "my passport" without the number. That has never worked.

Almost, but not identically. The skeleton is the same. What changes: RC book needs the vehicle registration number and RTO; PAN card needs the full 10-character PAN; driving licence needs the DL number, RTO, and vehicle class. A single template with the document-specific fields swapped works for most papers. Whether the issuing authority accepts it is a separate question — verify before placing the ad.

Always keep document numbers and roll numbers in Arabic numerals — do not convert them to Devanagari script figures. Hindi numbers in ads are sometimes misread by clerical staff at universities. The declaration line translates cleanly: मैं घोषणा करता/करती हूँ कि उक्त दस्तावेज़ खो गया है। Keep all other details in the same structural order as the English version.

Yes, and they vary. The Hindu: generally 30–50 words for a listed lost notice. Times of India: similar range, per-word pricing above the base slot. Hindustan Times: around 35 words. Deccan Herald: up to 40 words standard. These rates are dynamic — verify with the booking desk before submitting. What applied in January may not apply now.

The Hindu's ad portal (ads.thehindu.com) and the Times of India's Times Classifieds portal both offer live previews before payment. Use them. Enter your actual ad copy — do not guess the word count. For papers without an online portal, ask the booking agent to send a WhatsApp draft image before confirming. Always verify the document number in the preview. A print error costs more to correct than the original booking.

Vague document names. Missing PIN code in the address. Omitting the declaration line. Name mismatch between the ad and the original document. Sentimental padding that wastes the word budget. And — this one surprises people — the FIR or GD number placed in the wrong position. It belongs after the loss description, not before it. Also: abbreviated addresses (like "Chennai-17" instead of the full street address) are flagged by several university duplicate certificate cells.

Write it on a separate line, after the description of what was lost and where. Format: "F.I.R. No. XXXX/YYYY registered at [Police Station, City] dated [Date]" or "G.D. Entry No. XXXX dated [Date] at [Police Station]." Do not insert it into the document description line. The correct order is: what was lost → when and where → police reference → declaration. That is the sequence offices are trained to read. If you haven't filed a GD yet, do it before placing the ad — many passport offices now require both documents together.