My passport validity was about to expire in a couple of months and I was thinking of renewing it sometime soon. Very recently got to know about ‘Passport Seva Kendra’ (PSK) through a friend and decided to use this newly launched facility to renew my passport. All the information was available on their website about the documents, process, fee structure etc., It was indeed a very smooth option to fill out all the form detail online as well as submitting the same through their website. Also, there was an option to schedule the appointment with passport issuing authority online!
To be doubly sure, I called up their toll free helpline 1800-258-1800 to ensure I have the right set of documents and the process followed is correct. Since there was no change in address, I just had to drop in personally at PSK at a pre-scheduled time with current passport which is about to expire. Well, the other documents included the appointment acknowledgement print out and 2 self attested photo copies from the current passport.
I was told explicitly that there is no need to carry photographs as they have set up a digital imaging system to capture photo there itself while processing the form. Also, I was told that the fee for reissue of passport can be paid at the processing counter. All is well until this point.
Rest of the story as it unfolded made me realize the famous saying – “if everything goes smooth without any hurdles, surely you are in wrong lane”. Well, I had the appointment between 1:30pm – 2:15pm at Passport Seva Kendra, Lalbagh road, Bangalore. Reached the premises and got inside the building at 1:00pm upon showing the acknowledgment print out of the appointment. Had to stand in the queue here too to get a token for visiting processing, verification and issual counters. The queue wasn’t moving at all. After an hour one of the official came out and said the servers are down and it may take a while. Later on got to know that the servers were down since 11:30am! Thanks to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) who have partnered with ministry of external affairs, India to empower the IT systems/infrastructure and to maintain these PSK kiosks.
Again at 2:30pm, one elderly official came to announce that they will switch over to manual mode of passport processing since the servers haven’t been restored and they are not in a position to retrieve the forms that applicants had submitted online. They decided to process those who had filled in forms in hand which weren’t submitted online. Online applicants were told to BUY form (which costs Rs. 10/-) and fill it up, ensure to have passport size photos, then head over to processing counters to get the work done. A fool in me, relying too much on computers had gone there without photos. I had 2 options : Either get the photos and fill up the form all over again manually or visit again some other day hoping to be lucky by then. Since there was a huge crowd and had to attend to work decided for the latter option.
So, this is what I learnt from todays experience:
1. Don’t rely on computer systems at government offices YET!
2. Always carry photographs no matter what whenever you need to fill a form related to govt offices.
3. Carry a pen in the pocket whenever you are out (my parents still shout at me for not complying to this since my college days, there is a bigger story on why don’t like to keep one… may be sometime later!)
4. Expect not to get the work done through govt offices as per the schedule.
Thanks for reading, hope you will not repeat what I did and may you have all the luck to get the “God’s work” done on time, as mentioned in the book! Remember, there is an engraved quote on the Vidhana Soudha – “Government Work is God’s Work”… YES! I understand that now in a better way.
sathya prakash says
Hi All
I have applied online and planning to visit PSK sometime next week. I dont see any appointment available. So can I go directly, if so at what time I should reach the PSK?. Which one seems to be better? Marathalli or Lalbagh?
I wanted to add my spouse to the passport, I have a marriage certificate. Do we need to provide only the self attested copy or do we need to get it attested by a gazetted officer?
Thanks
Sathya
pushpendra says
Not sure about Lalbagh but Marathalli is good.
Be there by 3:00 AM in the morning so that you can get the walkin token comfirtably.
Documents required:
1. Old passport and its self attested copy.
2. Marriage certificate and self attested copy
3. current adress proof if it is different from the address in the passport.
nithya says
Hi all,
This is to all who wanna apply for Re-issue of Passport(pp), with the issue of “Bifurcation of Given name into Given/First name and Surname”. This mainly happens with south Indian names, which is usually empty/blank in the Surname column. All the other information remains the same in this case, like address, birth place, etc.,
Reqd docs :
1. General and Tatkaal category : Original pp and a photocopy of pp, attested by the applicant (pp holder)
Simple…. Thats is all they ask you…. NOTHING more…
But as of docs required section in the application, please carry
1. original affidavit, signed by a notary, stating your name and residential address.
2. 3 ID proofs – 1 should be a photo ID proof.
It may be a combination of DL, HR letter from your company, Postal ID, Birth certificate, Voter’s ID, PAN card, etc.
3. 2 Photo copies of the same (each)docs.
Suggestions on filling and booking appointment.
1. Please fill the form online and submit it. It gives you an ARN number. Take a printout of it. even if u ve not booked the online appointment, no problem. reach PSK by 7.00am atleast, and be in the Priority ONLINE queue.
2. Online queue is a priority queue and very few people are found in that queue. The general queue has around 200 ppl standing (in the footpath) at 5.30am in the PSK.
3. Between 7.45am & 8.00am , they issue the token. Tokens are approx 150 per day, excluding the online appointments. Priority online queue, under tatkaal category will get the preference.
4. Take the appointment and go to PSK just half an hour before the appt time.
5. these are the steps
a) Security Checking and Issue of token
b) You will be (ONLY the applicant) asked to go for document verification, at a primary level.
c) You will be sent for taking Photo/Finger print/Doc verification/Payment of fees to a counter where the TCS guys verify every applicant. They give you a reciept for the amount paid.
d) You will have to wait for atleast an hour before you next proceed to the VO. (verification officer). The VO takes jus 2 minutes exactly in this case.
e) wait for another 15 mins, before gonna meet the G.O. granting officer. He took arnd 15 mins for me and finally stamped my old passport as “cancelled”
f) Take the already issued reciept and old pp, handover tat at exit, they give u another acknowledgement.
JOB OVER, COME OUT RELIEVED!!!!
I just completed this process. was lucky enough to take the appointment at 8am (had mistakenly joined the general queue at 5.30am as the 100th applicant, and later joined the priority online queue at 7.30am) and go home, refresh, and then bak to PSK at 10.15am, process ended at 1.00pm !!!
Hope to get my new Passport soon.
kavitha says
Hi
I am reading the posts quite sometime. I booked for online appointment on 28th June and got on 16th July. Finally after spending around 7 hours (very very badly organised) i submitted my application on normal. Actually i wanted to submit in tatkal and as it was closing time for them and the person was not convinced with my documents (inspite of showing my pancard, obc certificate, Form I, bank statement, rent agreement, birth certificate, he asked me for Form F,which i couldn’t give at that time). Now i heard it takes around 20+ days to get the passport. As i am in urgency is it possible to convert it to tatkal at this stage. pl. help me. … what else can be done.
Mohan says
Kavitha, once you apply, I am not sure how it can be switched over to tatkal. All I can say is keep a regular check on the status of your file through online tracking and speed up the police verification as needed. That should make things faster for you. I can’t think of any other alternative as of now.
jackback says
I had applied for the passport on the 2nd of may 2010 at bangalore one.I wanted to apply for Tatkal passport but the person at bangalore one had informed me that the tatkal passport is valid only for 1 year so I dropped the idea and decided to go for the normal passport with 10 years validity which according to them I would get in about 40 days. I was give a file number starting with B. I got to know that we can check the status of the passport online at http://rpobangalore.gov.in/npassport.asp by entering the file number and the applicants date of birth.
After 10 days of applying there was a message sent to my cell number mentioned in the application I got a message for police Verification. I went to the police station with all the sets of documents I had but after reachin there at 8 am I realised I had come too early for them so I went back and decided to come back at 11 .when I went back at 11 they asked me to provide 3 photographs the same ones I had given for the passport. I had to run back and get the photos at last the police verification was over and since that was a friday they promised to send the file to the commisioner office on monday.
When I checked on Wednesday the status had changed from red (Police verification not recieved ) to Green (Police verification completed ) so I believe they had sent the report on monday . the status remained that way for 2 months. I decided to visit the bangalore one center for help as he had given the time line of 40 days. there I was informed that visiting the RPO would help as they had to issue the passport so I decided to go to the RPO bangalore for assistance. the office timings mentioned in the website was 9:30 to 12:30 so I went there 45 minutes early to avoid an trouble , the moment I entered the passport office I was amazed to see the crowd that was gathered there for some assistance at 8:45. I enquired that I wanted to convert my passport from normal to tatkal. I was told to stand in a queue next to the gate that was for tatkal. I realised that there were about 60 people ahead of me in the queue. we were given a pink page for the conversion which required to fill in the file number one passport size photo had to be attached and wait till the turn to meet the concerned peson I had to wait 3 hours in queue before I could get to the counter.
At the counter the lady took the pink page and the acknowledgement slip and checked the file status and informed me to go to the room 14 to meet the rpo. there also there was queue of the same people who were ahead of me in the queue outside. I waited for my turn then got to meet the RPO he checked the status of the application and informed that the passport would be dispatched by friday that week . as per the process I asked If I need to pay the tatkal charges of 1500 for 5-7 days or 1000 for 7-14 days. but got to know that if the passport is not delivered between the given timeline and if the police verification is completed then they will change the passport from normal to tatkal on the promised dispatch date I visited the RPO once again to try my luck if I could get the passport could be given to me in hand but that was not possible but I got the passport the next day of the promised date Yuppersssssss!!!
Mohan says
Another run around story… sorry to hear that you have to go through so much of pain.
Vinay says
Sharing my experience at PSK, Outer Ring Road:
Case: Applied for renewal of Passport (Expiring this month)
Wanted to apply in Tatkal but worried because of following issues
1. Passport Issued from Bhopal,
2. Address change to current address in Bangalore (But recently shifted a new apartment in May, So had a concern with the one year condition of address)
3. Wife name to be added.
Process I followed:
1. Submitted the application online for renewal of passport at passportindia.gov.in on 12 July. Got the ARN number. Printed the application receipt.
2. Prepared 2 set of Photocopies for the following document:
a) HR Letter for Address Proof + Company id
b) ICICI Bank Statement for last year with the latest address.
c) First 2 pages & Last 2 pages of Passport
d) Marriage Certificate
3. Checked appointment for submitted application but next available appointment was on 09 August.
4. For Tatkaal, went to Mayo Hall and got the Annexure I affidavit.
5. On 15 July i.e. today, reached PSK at 3 AM. Found that there were people already standing since last night. People decided to adopt a small process to avoid chaos for token distribution (2 days back police was called to control the crowd).
People (with the help of security of PSK) decided to enter name in a sheet in the order they reached PSK. So first guy who reached at 9:00PM did the entry and rest followed.
My number was 36 in that list. Slowly more people came and they also entered their name in the list.
A queue was formed at 5:00 AM based on that list. Slowly people came and starting joining queue. There were few issues raised by people who came late but as most people were happy with the process adopted, they followed.
6. At 8:00 AM, token distribution started. I showed the online application receipt and photocopy of the supporting document, was forwarded to counter to collect the token. Got the token but it was put under normal process. On checking at the counter, I was informed that the Application processing guy will check my doc & will confirm. I moved inside to the waiting room for Application processing.
7. My number was called and I went to the application processing guy who verified my document and made a file. He took my photo using camera attached to his computer and also the finger prints.
8. I told him that I want to apply under Tatkaal but he said that my current passport is issued from Bhopal, so only Granting officer can confirm that. He added a special note in his application system that I want to apply under Tatkaal.
9. I paid the normal process fee i.e. 1500 (for 60 Pages PP) and a receipt was given to me with the file. Came out to the waiting room.
9. After sometime, I was called for Verification of document by Verification Officer. He checked all the document with the original and was fine with the documents. I told him that I want to apply under Tatkaal. He just checked whether I have Annexure I which I showed to him. He was happy & returned it saying it is not required now.
10. After Verification, came out to waiting room and waited for my call for the meeting with Granting Officer. my turn came soon and I went to her desk. I gave her my file and requested her to process my file under Tatkaal. She cross-checked the history of my Passport in her computer and approved my application for Tatkaal.
She told me to back to same Application processing guy and convert the application to Tatkaal.
11. Went back to the same application processing guy. He converted my application to Tatkaal and took additional tatkaal fees and gave me receipt. He forwarded my application for verification. Went to same verification officer who checked the application again in his system and forwards it to Granting officer.
I went to same granting officer who cross-checked my application and granted me the approval. She informed me that I should get the passport in 4 working days.
12. I said thanks to her and went to Exit gate where I was issued the acknowledgment letter.
13. Came out of Passport Office at 11:10 AM.
Keeping my finger crossed to get the passport before next w/e
Mohan says
Ah! that was a tiresome experience. Glad there was some happy ending there!
Anand says
did you get the passport in 4 days, i am planning apply for re-issue in tatkal do you recomend me to go with form i and form f ? what is the valisidty you when you applied in tatkal, i see few people have scribed stating the tatkal will be issued only for an year is that true?
appreciate your response.
thanks,
anand
Raji says
Hi Mohan
Just to tell you that we got the re-issued passports in our custody yesterday- 13th July…and we had applied for it on 2nd July…it was quite a seamless effort for us..except that we had to go to the post office to collect it as we were not at home when it arrived…your blog will help a lot of people trying to get their passports in order.with the mixed reactions here people will know what worst they can expect, However i still have faith in the new system and it is only a matter of time before the system is streamlined to function flawlessly.
With much regards
Raji
Mohan says
Thank you so much for your inputs Raji. Glad you had a smooth experience with the re-issue process.
SRK says
Mohan,
Thanks for this great post. As my passport is expiring soon, it’s very helpful.
One question – I have my old passport, and I still reside at the same address. Will police verification be necessary for me? I have heard conflicting answers on this one.
Thanks!
Mohan says
look at my reply for the previous comment just above yours! I am confused too!
Suba says
Hi
As u know,i had applied for normal new passport on 25th
Police verification is yet to be done
Was goin thro recent reviews in t blogs..slightly negtive reponses!!
sud i wait or sud i try 2 contact someone..for fastening t process-it is already 18 days…
Mohan says
Suba, I got a call from police for verification last saturday that too after 10 days from the date I received the passport in hand! Though there was no change in address, still police verification was done… I am really not sure what the actual process is.
Karthik says
I went there at 6.30 -waited in the PRIORITY que meant for online applicants. At 9.30am, it is announced that there is actually no priority if you fill your form online – there by lessening official time. No prizes for guessing the overall process – it is a pity that Indians will have to fight endlessly for better facilities in our country – nothing at all in place. The much hyped advertisements which screamed that you can get your passport in a week is all false. Even Taktal applications take 2 weeks since you would not get an appointment to meet the passport officials. Normal applicants take 2 weeks to an appmt – then it may take 3 weeks to get your hands on your passport. So is the new PSK system helping any one. Yeah, it is filling the coffers of TCS & normal mortals please make way for more such gimmicks by Government.
Toilets stink – Take a torch & hand fan when you get in – carry a umbrella & jacket when you are made to wait outside – loose sleep since you need to reach well before 7am to get a token.
” we have 2 hands only, how many applications can we handle in a day – we have a mandate of handling about 500 passports in a day only” says the operations man from TCS. This he says, is double the number than the previous days. Not very encouraging for a passport applicant.
Now, we ask. Did we ask you to limit yourself to 500 a day. Make it 2000 a day, add more people.
Mohan says
Only priority is that you don’t need to wait in the long queues in the early mornings. You can walk inside upon producing the online appointment at the mentioned time. Apart from that rest all is the same!
nithya says
You can produce the ARN number that u get after submitting the form online, even without booking for an appointment. They will issue you the token.
Maromi says
Me also had a horrible experience with my passport re-issue. Actually its still going on. After 21 days of submitting the application, when the police verification was still not done, I went to RPO, Koramangala. Got to know that they haven’t received the police verification report!! So I had to go to the police station, bribe them and even after that PVR(police verification report) didn’t reach RPO on time. So I had to go to commissioner’s office quite a few times (since the person there was really rude and kept on asking me to come back later) and find out about the PVR. The new passport helpline is totally useless since they never provide you any concrete information. All they do is ask your name, DOB and full address every single time you call up. I got 2 calls for feedback, and even after telling that the service was pretty bad, they didn’t seem to be bothered!!
Archana says
Well, the helpline agent told me that they log in to the same page as we do to track the status and they do not have any additional information! Are’nt they supposed to know more than what is being shown in the track status?!!
Maromi says
Exactly!!! I would definitely expect some more information from the helpline. For every single query, they ask you to go to RPO, Koramangala and check. What is the whole point of having a helpline, if we ourselves have to find out everything!! Now the site says after police verification, the passport will be dispatched within 3 days. Its already past 3 days and the passport isn’t dispatched yet. The agent asked me to wait for 2-3 days more and after that go to RPO. WTH!!!
Mohan says
Even though I collected my passport from the post office, the website shows the following message on status track page:
Has anyone else observed a similar stuff? yet another goof up i suppose in their tracking mechanism.
Archana says
The Status message is so confusing! Did you get a sms/email when the passport was dispatched?
Mohan says
That was an epic fail! I never received an sms/email alert. Postman came directly to home with passport 🙂
tanu says
tell me mohan,
R u working with TCS at psk or r u agent,
What ever u r u know quite more about the subject.
Thanks for your information it helped me to go organized and got good service too.
keep your good service as it will help many people .
Thanks,
Tanu
Mohan says
I thought the short intro at the top right of this page helped people to know who I am and what I do! Well, I am none of what you have mentioned. Like any other normal person, I had applied for a reissue of my passport and shared my experience thinking it might help many more!
sushmi says
I heard today that passport no is made available on the net but finally the passport is to be dispatched by RPO and there is always a waiting list of 2000+ 🙂 . Several agents roam around asking 600-800 buck for getting the work done in three days:). TCS is hopeless. Most of the time servers are down and now after 1-2 days of standing in the line for passport application submission shelling out another 1000 bucks.
Mohan says
Hmm… that is news! I wasn’t aware of this, damn! middle men exist everywhere…
tanu says
well i tell please do not believe in an agent and lose out money. My friend tried to apply reissue passport through an agent in psk and when officers cam to about incident there took the passport and even tried complain to police. My friend had to waste 4 days to meet the officer and pay penalty . Then he was allowed and granted new passport. Any way his passport came in 11 days that to normal.
Any way it is quite like same like old system , where at RPO we need to stand in queue as psk for many days so that our passport application is accepted. I wasted my 2 whloe days at RPO Kormangala to get my passport granted. Any way we cannot complaint or blame new syetem as same will take a few months or year to get establieshed. Let us not forget the agents an some offiers are trying to complain so that there can make quick bunks out of passport service. As now same has been controlled in some way. Any way i request if any one is trying to get apply and make appointment through online make your requests after 22.00 hours as the server is up and is hassle free. In fact we got appointment at early date and our process took merely 3 hours as we made our appointment by afternoon 2:00 and we finished and got granted status by 5.15.
Lets hope our people get appointment through online and take enough documents , visit psk then you will find difference in there service.
Mohan says
Thanks for sharing your experience. I am sure this will help a number of people out there thinking of taking wrong routes.
swapna says
hi,mohan this is swapna .As there is change of address required there is no way to apply for tatkal.the status in online it is coming as it is sent to police enquiry.but we have applied it on 29 june so to get police enquiry fast where we have to contact .can u give ur contact number.give reply as early as possible.can u give th details of any police enquiry number.
Mohan says
You should check with your locality police station for verification. You can see more details on your police verification here on the Karnataka State Police website.
Archana says
A cousin of mine applied for his passport (fresh) in Lalbagh rd PSK on 7 June. The police verification was completed and the status changed to – “You will recieve an email/sms once the passport is dispatched” message yesterday. Need some clarity on –
1. What would be the status (under track status in the passportindia website) once the passport is dispatched?
2. How long does it take to reach by post (local address) once the passport is dispatched?
Thanks in advance.
Mohan says
Hi Archana,
1. Don’t rely on that status check page.
2. for me without police verification (no change in address) it took 12 working days to get the passport.
Uday Bhat says
Hi Mohan,
I am also having the same issue. Status shows that you would receive an sms/email once its dispatched. But this message is already started appearing from past 14 days. Can I get the information from you from where passport gets dispatched. ie if I visit to that place directly, I can get the actual status. When I called to Commissionars office, they told me that police clearance is already been sent to PP office. So please do let me know these details.
regards
UdayB
Mohan says
Hi Uday, Passports is always dispatched from RPO and they send it through India Speed Post.
swapna says
Hello this is swapna,my husbanb applied for passport renewal last week in normal process in lalbagh they said that it takes 20 to 25 days to get renewal,but he want it urgent to apply for visa with in 10 days so can u help us in any way to get done quickly .pls can u give ur contact number to contact u directly .Give reply as much as early.
Mohan says
Hi Swapna, If your husband has applied for renewal it wont take more than 2 weeks if police verification is not needed. You should have opted for tatkal if it was so urgent. I am sorry, but now after applying through normal mode i don’t think there is anyway to speed it up.
Rajath says
What exactly do they ask during police verification? Im a college student,will they ask my college ID? Do i need to be present for taking the passport?
Raji says
Hi,
I have been going through this blog’s posts quite a few times over the last few days as both my husband’s and my son’s passport (6 yrs old) had to be renewed. The moment i got to know that Friday -2nd July was a holiday at school i started putting things together so that i could try and save my son taking a holiday for finger printing at the passport office. Going by the feedback here i got the manual application and photos ready with supporting documents and also applied online (without uploading the supporting documents) and took the ARN nos. However no appointment was available (next available appt was around 21st July). But we decided to take a chance. My husband was at the PSK Lalbagh at 7am on 2nd July and he entered inside the building by 745am. After getting his token no. he took permission from the officials about our minor son arriving late;and requested that we could join him without being in the Q again; which they obliged. My son and i reached the PSK around 855am. By this time my husband had finished verifying the documents through the staff and also finished the formalities through the CSE’s and filed his application, photos and finger printing done and paid his fees. He was waiting Verification and Granting only which starts by 930am. Incidentally he was 3rd in the online applicants list. After my son and i reached there we were straightaway given our token and ushered into the main hall and finished filing his application and paid up the fees. Sharp at 930am they called out names of all the minor applicants (Which was very thoughtful..there were 7-8 of them) and after that they started calling aplicants by order. Since both my husband and my son were applying for renewal they considered both applications together. We finished our verification and the granting of application and we got our exit form at 1015am. We are really impressed. Even the staff there are working on how to ensure smooth running of operations and minimal waiting time. The main bosses preferred not to sit in the cabins but were on the floor and ensured that each and every staff was kept busy. Everyone was very courteous and knew what they were talking about! On a general conversation the officer mentioned to us that the aim was to make this pilot process a success and ensure that no one is made to wait more than 45 mins. They are also deliberating to reduce the fees for online applicants because they want to encourage this project. I feel any project will have teething problems in the initial stages; how much ever we do the testing; the issues that arise when working online on the project cannot be judged unless it is underway…Yes it is for us to see now how long it will take to get the passport on hand but yes so far the experience has been fantastic! And this blog also helped me to expect the worst..i went loaded with books, food, water etc..and my son was upset that his picnic was over even before it started!
Thanks…Raji
Mohan says
Hi Raji, thanks for sharing your experience. I am glad it was very smooth for you. I too have observed that they process the applications of senior citizen and parents with infant kids on a priority basis. I am glad at least they are being treated fairly.
Raji says
Hey Mohan
We have received sms and emails in our respective email ids..the passports of both my son and my husband have been despatched through Speedpost..so this is the status of renewal that we had applied for on 2nd July…
Raji
Atmesh says
Hi Mohan,
Did you get your passport? I had also given mine for reissue on 12th May but with the old system at Bangalore RPO in Koramangala and have not received yet.
Mohan says
Hi Atmesh, Just got a call from home that the passport has arrived but the delivery person wanted to deliver it to me only in person. So I need to go and collect from the courier or postman person.
Atmesh says
Great, your passport came in 12 working days, considerable improvement comapring the old system
Mohan says
I don’t think so… 10 years back when I had applied for a fresh passport, I got in 14 days which included even police verification by then!
A Ram Prasad says
Hi Atmesh
Did you get your passport. I also applied similar to you at RPO Bangalore in the month of April. I still didn’t get the passport. Dispatch series is not updated from April 1. How to find out the exact status of the application
any idea
A Ram Prasad
Mohan says
Folks, there is a helpline for the passport office, probably you may want to try your luck there?
Krish says
when police comes for verification, what documents they asks for ?
Mohan says
They enquire about your stay with your neighbors and the references you gave in the form along with a photo ID verification of the applicant in person at the provided address.
Suba says
went yestrday to marathahalli PSK…well organised place than Lalbagh PSK,i feel.
but i was unlucky…they din accept one of the 3 documents which bore my permanent address rather than present..though they clearly state tat t name should be same in all 3 NOT Address.
I had my adress proofs as well..They din accept…
I dint hav much time to make annexure F…so aftr lot of confusion n thought processing ,i went ahead with applying as Normal category and not takkal..
Hope it does not take much time…Any ideas as to how long it takes for fresh normal passport to get in hand ???
Mohan says
Ah.. once again unlucky? Sorry to know that. Well, it shouldn’t take more than 3 weeks if we go by the standards mentioned on PSK website. I am still waiting for my re-issue passport which was granted on 18th Jun ’10.
Dr.BP Sreenivasa says
I was granted re-issue of passport on 15/6/2010 at PSK, Lalbagh, Bangalore by standard mode (not TATKAL). Today I got it by speed post. So, I got it in 8 days (6 working days to be precise). That’s pretty good I feel!
Mohan says
Wow… that is impressive! I was granted on 18th at the same place, hope to get it in next 3 days 🙂
Radhika says
Bangaloreone was definitely a very convenient option. But when I went there to apply for re-issue of passport for my minor son, they said the service is not being handled at Bangaloreone any more! and they directed me to PSK.
I was in for a shock when I reached PSK to see that it is a token system (a max of 175 given every day issued before 8 am) and the security person informed me that ‘Madam-Come at 5 in the morning as there is lot of rush!! Secondly, I was given to understand that I will need to tag along my lil son to the center for some process requirement (photo, …do not know what else).
All these for convenience??? I was very happy with Bangaloreone services. Atleast, I was not required to go early to get the token and above all, a minor was not required to give in-person appearance!!!
Mohan says
Sorry to hear that bad experience. I suggest you book an appointment through their site, I am sure this will reduce half the burden.
Kushi says
Hi,
The PSK website passportindia.gov.in is horrible. I have been trying from last 2 hrs to login but the login page doesn’t load at all. I can’t believe that TCS can give this quality. PSK call centre don’t give appts on phone and the website isn’t working…..So how do i schedule an appt?……..walk into psk and wait for hours in Qs….???
Mohan says
I have observed that too… it goes off once in a while and I keep seeing all weird error messages upon trying to access the site.
anon says
Hi,
I had applied for reissue of passport (change in address) on june 8 in seva kendra in mangalore..police verification was done on 20th with no problems…how much time do you think it will take for dispatch of passport under normal scheme?what is the subsequent procedure involved?
please do reply asap.I would be very obliged .
great job btw !!!cheers!!
thanx in advance
Mohan says
You can track the status through their website. As per the FAQ section, once the police verification is done, it should ideally take 3 working days to dispatch the passport.
Prem says
Hi Mohan,
thanks for your very good and usefull information. even my passport going to expire on mid of next month. as my passport address is my native ( shimoga) but issued at bangalore ( 10years back) now i stay in bangaore (past 1 1/2 yrs ) . as change in adress, plz advice me waht all the documents to be required..
thanks,
Prem
Dr.BP Sreenivasa says
Hi Prem,
I also applied for re-issue of the passport which required a change of address. My passport re-issue was granted with the following documents,
1. Proof of address: My organization ID card which was issued 3 years ago; copy of driving license; latest telephone bill (they isisted me also to provide old telephone bill of about 1 year which I didn’t carry, but still they cooperated as I had other address proof). Please ensure your address matches in all the documents you provide)
2. Annexure B (NOC) in original stationary (as I am a Govt employee)
3. Self attested of SSLC certificate
4. Self attested copy of first 2 pages and last two pages of old passport
5. Originals of all the above
6. See that your details match exactly with the old passport (except address).
7. Please go to their website and register yourself. Then apply online for re-issue of passport. Once you complete submission, take an online appointment.
Hope this info is useful
Thanks
Srinivas
Mohan says
That is indeed a comprehensive list. However, you can check it on the website too to know what all documents you need to carry through document advisor section.
Mohan says
You are most welcome!
Suba says
Thanks for those suggestions and iam happy to hear a positive feedback from Mr.Anil.
Iam applying under student category.Should the X marksheet suffice or should I get bak my degree certificate submited wit the college as well???Is Attestation by self enough if goin in person??
Suggestions pls…
Mohan says
That should do for non ECR, however, if you have the degree certificate with you do carry it along. You need to carry the original documents along with attested copy.
Anant says
Thanks Mohan and Anil for your vital feedback and advise!!
Mohan says
You are most welcome Anant!
Anil M O says
Hi . I applied for my passport reissue for me and my wife through the online service during the first week of this month (June), got my appointment for the 7th. I chose the passport seva kendra on the outer ring road. My appointment was at 12.00. On reaching there we did have to wait as the servers of TCS were down. The staff were extremely polite and helpful. It took us about a couple of hours with the TCS process due to the server problem. But with the government officials it was a breeze. The process with them was over in about 20 mins. We had applied under tatkal. 4 days later we had the passport in our hands. This experience for us was way different from the hassle we had 10 years ago when we applied at the passport office in MG Road.
Mohan says
Good to hear that… I am glad at least you had a good experience there.
Anant says
Hi,
I am sad to learn about the state of affairs at PSK. I have to apply for a tatkal passport renewal as my current one is damaged but not beyond recognition. I am not sure that even after submitting my application successfully at PSK whether i would get my passport in the promised 3 days.
Mohan says
Hi Anant, don’t rely on just the documents that the document advisor suggests on the website, better go with all possible documents. Though they are issuing 175 tokens a day apart from online bookings, looks like there are minimal number of tokens given for tatkal. I can only say best of luck for you.
Anant says
Hey Mohan,
Thanks for the reply definitely i would stash every document that validates my dob ,address etc… I have an online appointment for June-28th. Do i still need to go much ahead in time to the kendra?
Mohan says
Hi Anant, it is better reach the premises atleast 30 minutes before your appointment time. If you wish to include your spouse details included into your passport do carry marriage certificate as well!
Mohan says
oh.. sad to know that.. I know it was indeed improperly ventilated. While exiting, I visited the hall you are talking about. Inside it was pretty okay. Just that the officials are so lethargic in their attitude, they still have a long way to inculcate corporate behavior.
Wish you good luck on your next visit.
Suba says
Oh tat sounds gud
work is done
tat is all important:)….i was ter from 5.30 to 1.30:(
I have taken marathahalli appointment on 25th..as lalbagh app next is only july1….very far i heard..donno the situation ter..
tanx for the replies.
Suba says
Website was down and had gone today early mornin 5.30 am ,was token 107…and by the time i was called..they said there is no slot today for takaal …was jus given ANR number and appointment which again is on 25th!!
Donno whether atleast after appointment time consumption will be less…
Hunger,sleeplessness and ill aerated /poor ventilated room jus precipitated my migraine..
Painful procedure…
Mohan says
Hey Suba, I was there this morning between 8am to 12pm. I had an online appointment which was booked on Monday night. Though the slot was between 9:00-9:45, by the time I came out it was 12:30pm! But my work got done.. more details to follow in my next post 🙂
nithya says
Hi Mohan,
I ve been following your blog. I filled the form and submitted it today for re-issue of passport due to name bifurcation (Given name has to be split into Given name and surname; Surname was previously blank). But i failed to get an appointment date till august 18th. I need the passport in hand by august 5th maximum. I have finally booked for 30th july appointment in Hubli. These are my queries
1. WIll i get my passport despatched to my bangalore residential address?
2. Will they accept my application in Hubli?
3. Is there any other way, i can make another appointment in any of bangalore seva kendras?
4. Is B1 accepting re-issue of passport application?
nithya says
Any kind of help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
nithya
Mohan says
Hi Nithya,
1 & 2. I am not sure about this.
3. There are two seva kendra’s in Bangalore : One near lalbagh and the other near marathalli outer ring road. You may want to reach out to Regional passport office in Koramangala or even Bangalore one centers for better information.
4. I remember some one on this article saying that B1 is back in action for passports.
nithya says
Thanks Mohan,
I got the questions cleared from the PSK call centre
1. I can submit the application in any of the 4 PSK in karnataka – bangalore (2), hubli and mangalore. The “place of issue” will still be bangalore.
2. Passport will be sent through registered post to the residential address written in the application.
Will clarify abt point 3 and 4 and let all know it.
This blog helped me a lot. thanks to all.
Mohan says
Glad it was helpful. All the best. Do share the info as and when you get to know. I am sure it will be useful for many more!
Suba says
Wanted to get Takaal passport…any suggestions before i reach there.
Came disappointed today as i couldnt be one among the first 175 ..Heard photos and DD are not required if applying in person.When exactly should i go.
Mohan says
Apply for the passport online by filling all the details and book an appointment online. That will ease out things to some extent atleast! Read through my article again 🙂
DR.BP Sreenivasa says
Thanks for sharing your experience. Now I know I’m not alone who had a disappointing experience in the PSK, Lalbagh. It is poorly managed. I found too many leaders there causing chaos in managing the process. I took an appointment between 9.45 to 10.30am on 15/6/2010. They don’t care if you had taken an appointment or not. I could only come out at 4PM. Once you get in it’s all the same whether u have taken appointment or not. It’s time MEA reviews the functioning of PSK and set it right. Otherwise, PSK is no different from earlier manual system.
Srinivas
Mohan says
I am heading there tomorrow morning to try my luck again. Hope everything goes smooth!
Anil says
Hello Mohan. Very useful post. Btw, if I submit my application online today, approximately when is the appointment given for PSK?
Mohan says
Anil, after submitting the application, you get an option to schedule the appointment. Usually the dates are available after 2-3 days as of now. It all depends on the number of applicants!
Anunay says
Well I also got my passport renewed in February which was very seamless.
I filled the application form online at Indian passport website, which was very easy to use and was given an appointment date and time. When I approached the regional passport ofice in Ghaziabad, there was only 1 que which had not more than 4 persons and within few minutes my turn came.
Then I got an acknowlwdgement no. in the reciept which was totally different from the 1 I got on my online application form. When I enquired that why my reference no. has changed, then the person said that there is no meaning of online application as of now and the form you have submitted is just perfect because it a system driven format and chances of errors are very less.
I got my passport within 15 days time .
Mohan says
Lucky you! sadly I am in Bangalore where the number of applicants are beyond expectations for anything!
lahari says
a small correction,
People felt really happy when they came to Passport office to see things go according to rules and not** wrt to how much bribe is given. I think in India the Passport office works really well. But its just the time taking procedures..
Mohan says
thought so 😉
lahari says
I think its just the wrong day or not ur day. When I applied for my passport three yrs back, things were totally done without any hassle. I did it thru a post office though and my address issue was a great issue. Still things went really smooth and happen to get my passport without any trouble..I wd also like to tell u that passport office is one among the offices where bribe is very less to no bribe. I had to get my NOC for waiver. They were the only dept among the three depts(for a student J1 visa waiver) who acted v.strict wrt bribe. they never encouraged it. Luckily I need not pay to any dept too. But I happen to come across ppl who had to go thru all stuggles in other depts to get their NOC and they felt really happy when they came to Passport office to see things go according to rules and wrt to how much bribe is given. I think in India the Passport office works really well. But its just the time taking procedures..
Mohan says
Well, it was so easy when I applied for passport 10 years back! It just took a couple of weeks by then to receive the new passport.
Krish says
Don’t they accept Citi bank’s letter ?
Mohan says
if i am not wrong, they may consider previous 1yr bank statement as address proof, but still you would need one other photo identity card along with that.
raag says
AFAIK, Bangalore One centres don’t accept private banks’ (which Citibank is) letters as address proof. Bangalore One centres insist on letters from PSU banks.
Mohan says
Thanks for that clarification raag, I wasn’t aware of it!
suman says
That is wrong. They accept private bank letters. Recently I got my wife’s passport with icici bank letter from Bangalore one
Krish says
They are accepting private bank’s letter & 1 year statement (citibank) as address proof, today I have applied at PSK outer ring road.
raag says
For passport related work, it is better to get them done thru Bangalore One Centres. They have been doing it for quite some time now and really know what they are doing. They won’t accept the form even if a tiny detail is missing (which actually saves you lot of hassle later).
My experience tells me that you better get the following organized:
1. Documents required for passport renewal are exactly same as those required if you are applying for a new one.
2. Address Proof (name in address proof should match exactly with the name in old passport if you going for renewal. unfortunately for me, most documents – like voter id etc. – had my name in initials which won’t work. So, I had to get a letter from SBI – note PSU banks only, pvt banks letters won’t work – to act as address proof.
3. 10th or 12th standard mark sheet/certificate for age proof
4. degree certificates if you want ECNR
5. All documents should be attested.
6. Two sets of all documents – better to get three. You would like to retain one.
To avoid disappointment, I would advise others to just give a visit to Bangalore one centre to enquire about documents required before you go there with actual form and documents.
Mohan says
Even if you apply through Bangalore One centers, you still need to appear personally at RPO right? I didn’t really gather much info on Bangalore One centers and passport services through them. All you have mentioned makes a perfect sense!
raag says
Once your documents are accepted and acknowledged by Bangalore One, you don’t need to visit RPO unless RPO finds anything amiss with your application.
Mohan says
That is nice!
Anuj says
Now B1 are taking Re-issue cases after Pseva, only reissue is labag road or Opp. Intel Marathalli…
nithya says
Hey,
Is this comment correct, can Anuj reply bak, if he intended to write it as B1 is accepting along with lalbagh and marathahalli PSK or B1 stopped accepting the re-issue cases?
nithya says
Hey,
I checked it wit B1 centre. All B1 centres are “NOT” accepting any PP application which includes any change. So only “fresh” applications are being accepted by B1.
yogesh says
Hi Mohan & all,
Thanks for sharing.
Plz let me know this PSK project has started in which cities ?
Regards
Yogesh
Mohan says
Right now the count is two in Bangalore and one each in Hubli and Mangalore. Three more PSK’s will be started in Punjab by the end of June. All these are pilot centers and then eventually, it will be rolled out to many places.
Journomuse says
All Indian government offices are the same. I quake to think of how it will be when its time for me to renew my passport.
Mohan says
Hope things get better by then!
vidya says
@Mohan and others – I firstly think that government is making an effort which is great. Being in blore you are more fortunate as the govt for some reason implements these tech savy stuff in blore first.
I remember 4 yrs ago when my sister applied for a passport, she went through an agent. God alone knows what when wrong it took her 1 yr and 100 rs of agent fees to get her passport.
2 yrs ago I applied for my passport at Bangalore One centre, trust me it was absoulutely nice and easy. I submitted all my documents at the centre next to my house on airport road, the officals checked my documents and sent it for processing, with in a month I got my passport in hand.
From there to have a passport seva kendra is really amazing, I think its wise to be prepared for a backup like Mohan said. I am suprised that toll free no’s work in India!!!
and finally with technology being so advanced in India even while I was there and more so now, I feel we really dont need to go a bank, Electricity Bill counter, Telephone Bill Counter and Railway Booking counter. But if you do feel the need for paying them in person please use the Best One Centers where you can pay everything at one go..
Mohan says
I sure do agree to the fact that I am lucky to be in Bangalore to avail all these pilot projects. But I hate the way they kick off things without proper testing/implementation really annoying. Would anyone accept the same if it was the case with flight systems? Sorry, but I don’t like to be a scape goat for their experimentation. How can the server go down during work hours? what about the business continuity plans?
Yes, Bangalore One centers are a good option too for utility bill payments and other related information seekers.
Elaya Kumar S says
Thanks for sharing the experience and cautioning. We are meeting the same fate at most of the government offices, Electricity bill counters, Telephone bill counters and Railway booking counters and even in Banks. You will be surprised to know that the bank employee simply says, it is time out. If queried when will it become alright, they say they does not know. The poor customer has to bear the brunt of inefficient functioning at every turn with a fond hope that things will improve.
Mohan says
I have an easy solution for all the utility payments… I pay them through online payment system provided by citibank. It is so simple and convenient all at free of cost!
Swaram says
Thanks for all the lessons @ the end. Hope I never commit them!
God .. when wil our time be valued!
Mohan says
Better learn from the mistake of others… you wont get time to commit all the mistakes in this short span of life 😀
Pradeep says
“Government Work is God’s Work”
and gods are very efficient at what they do…. perfect quote which has pun written all over it 🙂
dunno when our countrymen/women 🙂 will take “public service” seriously?
cheers
pradeep
Mohan says
It has dual meaning for sure… depends on which angle you look at it from 😉
g2 says
Similar thing happened to me but my case was worse… I had less than 15 days for my flight, did not have a passport, did not start the visa proceedings or buy the ticket either! And there was only one way such a rush job could be done… pay 2000 bucks to the passport dispatch clerk and it worked and it costs only 500 more than tatkal… Though I was (and still am very much) against giving bribes, there was no other way!!!
Mohan says
Damn… it sounds so harsh, but can’t believe that one can get the passport by bribing the officials.
Krish says
I want to apply fresh passport @PSK,
what you suggest ?
Mohan says
Krish, make use of online form submission. As a back up plan be prepared for manual submission as well if required at PSK.
Sandeep says
Hi, Krish, I’m a working staff at Lalbagh PSK. To apply for your passport, you just need to walkin into the psk after fixing an appointment and on that date. For Tatkaal, you can walkin on any day with the Reference number (ARN) irrespective of when your appointment date is. Make sure, you have all the documents intact so that your process won’t be delayed. <* Personal information REMOVED *>