Passport Office

Passport Office:

A passport is the most important travel document and identity document for anyone who travels abroad for the purpose of Business, leisure, holiday & tours, pilgrimage, education, medical, etc.

The demand for passports and allied services are on a constant rise, thanks to globalisation and the emerging economy. This demand for passports have been increasingly coming from both large cities as well as smaller towns, therefore, to improve the services for a wider reach and for the convenience of the citizens, the Ministry of External Affairs had launched the Passport Seva Project in the year 2010.

Passport Office, also known as Passport Seva Kendra facilitates a simpler, efficient and transparent process for passport application, delivery of passport and related services. It has also integrated with the State Police for physical verification of applicant's credentials and for delivery of passports they have tied-up with India Post.

Passport Office Service - Services Offered by Passport Seva Kendra:

1. Passport Seva

• Issue of fresh passport - You can apply for fresh passport if applying for the first time.
• Re-issue of passport -  You can apply for re-issue of passport if you want another passport in lieu of an existing passport for any of the following reasons:

• If there is any change in existing personal details
• If the validity of the passport if due to expire
• Validity of the passport expired more than 3 years ago
• If the pages of passport have been exhausted
• If the passport is damaged/torn
• If the passport has been lost

• Miscellaneous services like Issue of Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)

2. Consular Services

Consular services involve an important part of duties and responsibilities of designated officers of the Indian Missions / Posts abroad for the welfare of the Residents and Non-Resident Indians. These officers claim the authority to take certain actions based on the acts formed by the Government keeping min with the domestic laws as well as their International obligations. The consular duties largely include the following;

1. Welfare of Non-Resident Indians (NRI)
2. Financial assistance to Indian citizens and repatriation of Indian citizens,
3. Assistance relating to whereabouts of Indian workers, Indian seamen etc.,
4. Attestation of documents such as Will, Affidavit, oaths, power of attorney and documents relating to shipping, trade, education etc.
5. Registration of Births and deaths of Indian citizens,
6. Solemnisation of Marriage under Special Marriage Act, Foreign Marriage Act and rules there under.
7. Consular assistance to arrested Indian citizens.
8. Assistance in case of death of Indian citizens, death compensation and remittance thereof.
9. Administration of Properties, Estates and Wills of Indians abroad.
10. Dealing with Civil and criminal proceedings against Indians abroad

3. Visa Services

Type of visa	Abbreviation
Diplomat	D
Official	O
UN Official	UD
Transit	TR
Entry	X
Tourist	T
Employment	E
Project	P
Student	S
Journalist	J
Business	B
Missionary	M
Mountaineering	X
Conference/Seminar/Meeting	C
Research	R
Medical	MED
Medical Attendant	MEDX
Universal

The following types of Indian visa are issued to foreign nationals in accordance with the purpose of their visit.

Documents required for Passport application:

Upon submission of the required documents, the Passport Seva Kendra Officials will verify them and then process for Passport application. The basic documents required in order to apply for a passport are;

1. Date of Birth proof; e.g. Birth Certificate, etc
2. Identity proof with photograph
3. Proof of current residence
4. Proof of nationality

Please note that these are just basic documents and documents required for passport might vary depending on several factors.

Procedure for Passport application:

Procedure given here is based on own experience of the contributor in a Passport Office Chennai. There are chances that it might not be the same for you.

1. Login to the website http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/user/userLogin
2. Fill in the application form online and select any available interview dates.
3. Be present at the respective Passport Seva Kendra offices on the interview date.
4. You will be given a token number and wait for your number to be called.
5. Once number is called, go to “Counter A”(cross check with this to your passport office) where your photographs will be taken to be attested in the passport.
6. After taking the photo, Move on to “Counter B”(cross check with this to your passport office)
7.  and wait for your token number to be called.
8. Submit all the relevant documents at Counter B(cross check with this to your passport office).
9.  The documents will be checked for authenticity here.
10. Once the submitted documents are verified, move on to Counter C(cross check with this to your passport office) and wait for your token to be called.
11. Re-submit all the documents again in this counter along with copies of the original.
12. The authorities will then intimate you for any missing document or ask questions relating to any document.
13. Once this is over, you will be asked to leave the Office, and will be informed that police verification will happen in a couple of days and the passport will be delivered to your address in two weeks time.

How to locate a passport office?

Visit the Passport Seva Kendra website:

The home page will open (as shown below)

http://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/welcomeLink

Click on the “Passport Offices” tab and a drop down box will appear. In that, select “Passport Offices in India”

Once you click on that, a new page will open.

 On the left hand side, there will be a column called Information Corner. Under this, select “locate Passport Seva Kendra and Laghu Kendra” tab.

Please Note: Do not directly select your city from the list of cities mentioned on the right, because it will redirect to the Regional Passport Office website of that city.

Once you click on that, fill in the details that appear on the right. You may choose to select through City or PIN code. If you choose Passport Office option – in the next step, select the city in which you live. If your city is not mentioned, then choose the PIN code option and type in your PIN code, the website will locate the nearest passport office for you in the nearest city.

Once you select an option and enter your city, click on “Locate PSK/PSLK” option. All the Regional Passport Offices in that city will appear below with their Address and Map.

About Passport Seva Kendra, Chennai

Name of Regional Passport Officer: Mr.K.Balamurugan(As on the date of writing this article)

Head Office: Royala Towers No. 2 and 3, IV Floor,

Old No. 785, New No. 158, Anna Salai,

Chennai, Tamil Nadu-600002

Telephone: 044-28513640

Fax: 044-28513637

Email: rpo.chennai@mea.gov.in

Public Support

IVRS/National Call Centre: 1800-258-1800

Citizen Service Executive Support: 8 AM to 10 PM

Automated Interactive Voice Response (IVRS) Support: 24 hours

Office Timings Of RPO Chennai

Working hours: 9.15am to 5.45pm

Lunch Break: 1.15pm to 1.45pm

Senior Citizens/Physically Challenged/Minor applicants below 3 years: 9.30am to 11.30pm

Disclaimer:

We do not claim that the article is error free. We have just shared the information based on personal experience which can give an idea to people who never had experience of taking passport. Please refer Passport Seva Kendra official website for detailed and updated information.

Article Contributor: Sindhu.

Reference: http://passportindia.gov.in