passport seva portal for 26 June 2025

Passport Seva Portal Latest News

The Passport Seva Portal experienced widespread server issues recently, disrupting operations at Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) across India.

About Passport Seva Portal

• Established by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in partnership with Tata Consultancy Services, the Passport Seva portal is an excellent example of a Public-Private Partnership. 
• It simplifies the passport application and renewal process in India. 
• Through this portal, individuals can quickly apply for a passport or its renewal from the convenience of their homes. 
• It is a user-friendly portal providing access to various passport services online.  
• The MEA has retained sovereign functions like verification, granting, and issuance of a passport as well as ownership of core assets, including data and information of the applicants. 
• Users can perform the following functions on the Passport Seva Online Portal:
  
  • Apply for a new passport.
  • Apply for renewal of a passport.
  • Apply for re-issue of lost or damaged passport.
  • Download the application form for the Police Clearance Certificate.
  • Download the application form for the Surrender Certificate.
  • Download the application form for the Identity Certificate.
• The portal offers complete information regarding the documents required and the process to be followed for obtaining any of the documents mentioned above. You can complete these steps online. 
• But in some instances, you will be required to take a printout of the application form, book an appointment, and then visit your nearest Passport Seva Kendra. 
• To be able to use the facilities made available under Passport Seva, it is mandatory to register for Passport Seva Online first.

What is the Passport Seva Project (PSP)?

• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is responsible for the issuance of passports to Indian citizens through a network of 37 passport offices across the country and 190 Indian missions and posts abroad.
• The PSP was launched by the MEA in May 2010, with the objective of delivering Passport Services to the citizens in a comfortable environment with wider accessibility and reliability. 
• The project envisages setting up Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) across the country, a Data Centre and Disaster Recovery Centre, a Call centre operating in multiple Indian languages, and a centralized nationwide computerized system for the issuance of passports.
• With the implementation of the PSP, PSKs are working as extended arms of Regional Passport Offices. 
• An applicant may ascertain the jurisdiction of the Regional Passport Office and PSK before submitting an application.
• It enables simple, efficient, and transparent processes for delivery of passports and related services.
• Apart from creating a countrywide networked environment for Government staff, it integrates with the Indian missions and posts abroad, and with a few external stakeholders, such as State Police for physical verification of applicant's credentials with India Post for delivery of passports, and UIDAI for applicant’s demographics and biometrics validation.

Source: ET