Big relief for passport applicants: Now quick processing of Aadhar card will be done in the Regional Passport Office (RPO) only, you will get relief from frequent visits to the offices.

A very convenient and relieving news has come from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for the citizens who have made passports for traveling abroad. Till now, in case of any data mismatch, technical discrepancy or additional verification in Aadhaar card or identity documents during passport application, applicants had to make multiple rounds of different centers and regional offices. Providing a permanent solution to this problem, the system of real-time verification and processing of Aadhaar card has now been facilitated and integrated directly at the Regional Passport Office (RPO) level. The implementation of this new system will not only provide relief from unnecessary repeated travels, but will also significantly reduce the total time taken for issuing passports.

What is the benefit of Aadhaar processing in Regional Passport Office (RPO)?

While submitting the application at Passport Seva Kendras (PSK and POPSK), if any minor technical difference was found in the biometrics, name spelling, date of birth or address details of an applicant from the UIDAI database, the application was put on hold. After this the applicant had to appear in the RPO with the original documents by taking a separate appointment.

Now under the new digital system:

• One-Stop Solution: Regional Passport Offices have been equipped with advanced digital access and instant verification tools, allowing instant reconciliation of Aadhaar related data internally.

• Saving time and travel: Applicants will not be required to travel long distances to the main passport office again and again for correction or clarification in documents.

• Direct connection to DigiLocker: The digital documents shared through DigiLocker at the time of application will be directly and instantly matched with the RPO system, thereby saving time for physical verification.

The process of issuing passports will speed up

This streamlined step will expedite the disposal of passport applications of both general and urgent categories. The process of Police Verification (PVP) and data matching will be able to proceed faster in parallel. Files which earlier remained pending for weeks due to technical anomalies, will now be possible to be disposed of within a few days.

Important suggestions for applicants

To keep passport application seamless and fast, citizens are advised to:

• While filling the online application, enter the same personal details as recorded in your official identity cards and educational documents.

• To make the application process faster, attach the required identity and address proofs through ‘DigiLocker’ only.

• Regularly track the status of your application on the Passport Seva Portal and keep an eye on official messages.