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Introduction
The Government of India has long since has had the vision of transforming the country and revolutionizing government services offered in various aspects. One such key aspect is the passport services offered by the government.
The passport of an individual is one of the most essential documents that can be obtained by an Indian citizen. The procedure of passport application used to be a tedious process earlier before the introduction of the revised system of passport application. The entire process right from the point of application to physically receiving the passport used to take up to months and a lot of follow up enquiries on behalf of the applicants.
The government has revised the passport application process to digitize it and thereby expedite the process. In order to achieve this goal, the government has set up many passport offices across the country and many Indian Missions and Posts outside the country. India has 36 Passport offices within the country and about 190 Indian Missions and Posts outside the country.
This has helped in streamlining the procedure for passport application and eliminating the unnecessary hurdles and time lag in this process. These centers are also known as Passport Seva Kendra where the applicants can submit their passport applications for further processing.
Given below are the details of Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) - functions, role, etc.
What is a Passport Seva Kendra?
Passport Seva Kendras are the passport offices across the country where applicants can submit their online passport application. These Passport Seva Kendras are handled under the Ministry of External Affairs. There are many Passport Seva Kendras across the country and many Passport Seva Laghu Kendras (mini passport offices) which are located according to the area and population to enable maximum reach of the passport services across the country.
The introduction of these Passport Seva Kendras was with the intention to provide better facilities to the citizens of the country in terms of ease of process, security, transparency, etc.
What are the Key Features of the Passport Seva Kendra?
The Passport Seva Kendras are part of the Passport Seva Project (PSP) which is a project under the Public Private Partnership and is implemented with Tata Consultancy Services. The project undertakes the integration of various aspects and offices for the sanction of passports and related services for the benefits of the citizens of the country. These agencies include multiple Government offices and various departments as well as the Police Department for the physician verification of the particulars as per the application submitted by the applicant along with the Postal Services for smooth delivery of the passports sanctioned.
The various key features of Passport Seva Kendra are mentioned below.
Easy Access
The network of Passport Seva Kendra enables the applicants to apply for the passport application from anywhere and at any time. The payment of fees can also be made online through any of the available modes. The available modes as per the passport guidelines are,
- Credit Card
- Debit Card
- Internet Banking (State Bank of India, Associate Banks and Other Banks)
- SBI Bank Challan
Improved Network
The passport services of the country have an extensive network of offices and Post Office PSK. Currently this network includes 36 Passport Offices, 93 Passport Seva Kendras and 424 Post Office Passport Seva Kendra.
Better Amenities
The current Passport Offices are designed to provide the most convenient and comfortable experience to the passport applicants. The facilities at the Passport Seva Kendra include,
- Helpful guides
- Self-Service Kiosks
- Food and beverages facilities
- Public Phone Booth
- Baby Care
- Newspapers and Journals
- Television
This makes it a pleasant experience for the passport applicants and eases the process on the whole.
Better Infrastructure
The infrastructure at the Passport Seva Kendras is up to date and with the latest technologies to enable the ease of the entire passport application process. The applicants can give their biometrics at the time of their visit to the Passport Seva Kendra for the physical submission of the passport application along with the relevant documents. These Passport Seva Kendras also have an integrated system to deliver end-to-end passport service to the applicants and thereby ensure that the process is not cumbersome.
Better Coordination with other Departments
The Passport Seva Kendra is integrated with various other government offices and departments to ensure the smooth process of the application, verification, sanction and delivery of the passport.
Customer service and Helpdesk
The Passport Seva Kendra also has a dedicated helpdesk and a customer service centre that operates in multiple languages for the benefit of the citizens from any part of the country. This portal provides such facilities in 17 different languages and the applicant can choose the language of their convenience for communication or resolving their queries and issues. This service is available 24x7 for the benefit of the applicants.
Apart from the customer service or the call centre, the Passport Seva Kendra also has the mobile application ‘mPassport Seva’ which is available in Android and IOS versions. Applicants can avail facilities like online submission of passport application, payment of fees, scheduling an appointment, etc on such portals.
What is the procedure to be followed at the Passport Seva Kendra?
The Passport Seva Kendra has a designated counter for submitting the application and the documents and proceeding further upon verification of the same to the next process. This ensures an ease of process without any unwanted chaos and expedites the procedure at the same time. The details of such procedure are mentioned below.
PSK Counter ‘A’
- This is the start point or the first step after visiting the Passport Seva Kendra. The applicant will have to enter the booth when their token number is displayed on the monitor.
- The documents will have to be submitted at the counter to be checked. The officer will return the documents that are not necessary and the essential or necessary documents will be uploaded on the Passport Seva (PSP) Portal.
- The applicant will then be given a print-out of their uploaded personal information. This will have to be further reviewed and signed by the applicant. Finally the verified information will also be uploaded on the portal.
PSK Counter ‘B’
- After following the steps at Counter ‘A’ the applicant will need to enter the counter ‘B’ when their token number is displayed.
- The officer at this counter will again verify the original documents submitted by the applicant.
PSK Counter ‘C’
- This is the final counter in the passport application procedure.
- Here, the passport application of the applicant can be approved or denied.
- If the applicant receives the ‘Granted’ status, it means that the passport has been approved.
- Furthermore, the requirement of the police verification whether required or not is determined here. This refers to the status showing whether the passport to be granted is based on No Police Verification or After Police Verification.
After adhering to the above procedure, the applicant will receive an Acknowledgement Letter from the Exit Counter. This letter contains the passport reference number which is to be kept safely as it can be used to track the status of the passport application and resolve any queries or issues, if any.
In case the status of the application received is pre police verification, the Passport of such applicant will be printed only after a police report has been provided.
How to locate the nearest PSK?
The applicants can locate their nearest PSK from the official portal of passport application. The link for the same is,
Home>> Information Corner>> Locate Passport Seva Kendra
An applicant can locate the nearest Passport Seva Kendra through these steps mentioned below.
- Click on the link mentioned above,
- Locate PSK using Pincode or name of Passport Office
- Locate the PSK of the city by visiting the official website of the Passport services of such city and searching the PSK using the Pincode or name of PSK
FAQs – Passport Seva Kendra
1. What is a Passport Seva Kendra?
Passport Seva Kendra is the passport office where the physical copy of the online passport application form is submitted along with the necessary documents.
2. Who can visit the Passport Seva Kendra?
All the applicants have to visit the Passport Seva Kendra after submitting the online application form to complete the process of granting of passport.
3. Can a person visit the Passport Seva Kendra without prior appointment?
Yes. The facility of walk-in at the Passport Seva Kendra is provided only to the senior citizens. This means they do not have to take or schedule a prior appointment to visit the Passport Seva Kendra.
4. Are the fees for the passport application to be paid at the Passport Seva Kendra?
No. The fees for the passport application have to be paid online through any of the following modes available for the same.
- Credit Card
- Debit Card
- Internet Banking (State Bank of India, Associate Banks and Other Banks)
- SBI Bank Challan
The applicant is not required to pay any additional fees for the passport application apart from the online payment mentioned above.
5. When can the applicant submit the biometrics required for passport application?
The biometrics of the applicant is mandatory to be provided by such applicant to complete the passport application process. Such biometrics are to be provided at the Passport Seva Kendra when the appointment is scheduled after online submission of passport application.
6. How many Passport Seva Kendras are there in India?
Currently there are 36 Passport Offices, 93 Passport Seva Kendras and 424 Post Office Passport Seva Kendra where the applicant can physically submit the online passport application.
7. When is the police verification done in the passport application process?
The police verification is done after the visit to the Passport Seva Kendra if the passport is granted. This approval of the passport is subject to the successful police verification.