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The Indian government has introduced several changes to the passport application process to streamline and enhance security measures.
The government has announced that the Passport Seva online portal, the key platform for passport applications and renewals, will be shut down for a five-day maintenance exercise. This will temporarily halt all new appointments and require rescheduling for those already booked. The portal is scheduled to be unavailable from August 29th, 2024, Thursday at 8:00 PM IST, until September 2nd, Monday at 6:00 AM IST.
A notification on the Passport Seva portal confirmed the planned outage, stating, “Passport Seva portal will be down for technical maintenance from 29th August 2024, Thursday 20:00 hrs IST to 2nd September, Monday 06:00 hrs IST. System will not be available during this period for citizens and for all MEA/RPO/BOI/ISP/DoP/Police Authorities. The already booked appointments for 30th August 2024 will be suitably rescheduled and informed to applicants.”
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has emphasized that this is a standard maintenance procedure. An official from the ministry assured that contingency plans are in place to handle the rescheduling of appointments. “For rescheduling of appointments, we always have contingency plans. The maintenance activity for a public-centric service (like Passport Seva Kendras) is always planned in advance so that no inconvenience is meted out to public. So rescheduling an appointment will not be a challenge,” a source from the ministry stated.
The Passport Seva portal is essential for citizens booking appointments at centers nationwide, whether applying for a new passport or renewing an existing one. Under normal circumstances, applicants must visit the passport centers on their scheduled date to present the required documents for verification. This is followed by a police verification process, after which the passport is delivered to the applicant’s address.
Applicants have two options for processing time: the regular mode, in which passports are issued within 30-45 working days, and the Tatkaal mode, which ensures a much faster turnaround. The temporary shutdown will affect all steps of this process, but efforts are being made to minimize inconvenience to applicants.
The ministry has assured the public that the shutdown has been planned to minimize disruption and that clear communication will be maintained with all applicants affected by the rescheduling. All citizens who had booked appointments during this period will be notified of the changes in due course.
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