There were days when you had to call and book an appointment, wait in long queues and go through harrowing ordeals to get a passport. Now, with online appointments and professionalised services like Saakala, the experience of getting a passport has changed in Bengaluru. Here’s how you can apply for a normal passport.

Why do you need a passport?

Why would you need a passport? To be eligible for foreign travel of course. It also holds good as a valid government-approved ID card, it acts as a proof of address, it is a reminder of your heritage and can also act as proof of lineage, if it comes down to that.

Jokes apart, a passport is so much more. A passport is an international travel document that every Indian citizen must be in possession of, if he/she is looking to travel outside the country.

Applying for your passport

Before you apply for a passport, make sure you read through the process and keep the necessary documents handy. The passport application form can be submitted either online on the Passport Seva portal or can be submitted at one of the prescribed locations. Of these two, the online process is more convenient.

Forms to be filled

• Passport Application Form

• Supplementary Form

• Personal Particulars Form

• Police Clearance Certificate

The list of annexures to be attached along with the application form can be found here.

Documents required

You will need to have the following documents (originals and self-attested photocopies) to apply for a new passport. You will also need to carry this along with you when you go for your appointment at the Passport Seva Kendra office.

• Proof of date of birth (Birth certificate or certificate from any educational institute)

• Identity proof with photograph (PAN card, Driving License, Aadhar Card, Voter ID)

• Proof of residence (Ration card, Voter ID, Water bill, Electricity bill, Gas connection Bill, Income tax/Bank account Statement)

• Citizenship Document – if the applicant is a citizen of India by Registration or Naturalisation

• Government/Public Sector/Statutory body employees should submit “Identity Certificate” in original (ANNEXURE B) along with Standard Affidavit Annexure I

• If the applicant is eligible for “ECNR” attach attested copy of supporting document (see COLUMN 15 of the INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDELINES FOR FILLING UP THE APPLICATION FORM)

• If the applicant was repatriated at Government cost, enclose documents to show that the expenditure, if any, incurred by the Government of India on his/her repatriation has been fully refunded to the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs

• If the applicant was ever deported to India, give details of Emergency Certificate/Passport

In case you are applying for a reissue of a passport or come under special categories (Eg: Government Employee, Resident of Jammu & Kashmir/Nagaland, etc), you will need to submit some additional documents along with the application form.

You can find a listing of those documents that you need to fill here.

Submitting the hard copy of the Passport Application Form

One can download the Passport Application Form, fill it and submit it at the following locations:

• Any Passport Seva Kendra (PSK)/ Mini Passport Seva Kendra (Mini PSK) within the jurisdiction of your Passport Office

• District Passport Cell (DPC) of your district

• Select Speed Post Centre(s) (SPC) in your district

• Citizen Service Centre (CSC) if any, in your area

Please note that only fresh passport applications are accepted at DPCs, SPCs and CSCs. The PSKs will take all other types of passport applications as well.

In case you are submitting the application form through a representative, they will also need to carry an authorisation letter.

Alternately one can pick up the application form from any BangaloreOne center.

Payment in case of submission must be made by Bank Draft in favour of the Passport Officer concerned or in cash. In case of DD, the full name of applicant and application number is to be written on the reverse of the draft.

You will also need to carry three recent passport-size photographs. Please ensure that the following criteria is met while you are getting the photograph clicked.

• Size must be 3.5 x 3.5 cm

• Photograph should be taken against a light background (preferably white)

• Photograph must be in colour. Black and white photos, polaroid photos, photos with dark glasses or uniform and photos against a dark background will not be accepted

• Photo must display the frontal view of the full face

Instructions for filling the form can be found here.

Applying through the Passport Seva Portal

To start with, you need to register online on the Passport Seva portal. You can do so here. Once you have registered, login with your User ID. In case you’re applying for a new passport, select the link ‘Apply for Fresh Passport’. If you are looking to get your passport reissued in case you have lost your passport or the validity has expired or for a change in details, select the link, ‘Reissue of passport’.

The online application form can be filled in one of two ways. The first is by downloading the e-form, filling it offline and uploading it once again. The second is to fill the form online directly. The former method is recommended for those applying online. Fill in the required details and the form and submit this.

The details entered in the form will be printed in the passport, so ensure that all the details are right. Keep an eye out for spelling errors, dates and initials. In case of errors while filling in the form, please make sure that you point them out to the Citizen Service Executive at the time of your appointment at the PSK.

Once you have submitted the form, you will get an Application Reference Number (ARN). It is advisable to keep the ARN handy on your phone, as it can be used in the future to check the status of your application. You can do so here.

Booking an appointment

You will then need to schedule an appointment at one of the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) offices. In Bangalore, the PSK offices are at Lalbagh and Outer Ring Road. Choose one as per your convenience for you and schedule your appointment. You will need to pay the applicable passport service fee to make your appointment. The payment can be made in one of two ways:

1. e-Payment

• Internet Banking (through SBI and associate bank accounts only)

• Debit Card (Visa and MasterCard only)

• Credit Card (Visa and MasterCard only)

2. Challan Payment: Bank Challan (payable at SBI branches in India only)

In case you are making an online payment, you can schedule your appointment soon after. In case you choose to make a Cash Payment, you will get a challan. This challan should be taken to any SBI branch and the payment will need to be made in cash. The bank officer will hand you a copy of the Challan. Following this, the bank will validate the ARN details printed on the challan and the status of payment will be updated in the Passport Seva portal after 2 working days. Only once the payment status is displayed as successful, will you be able to book your appointment. You will receive an email once the payment has been cleared.

An important point to note here is that once you choose the cash payment option, you will not be able to make an online payment.

Once your payment has been processed, click on the tab that states ‘Schedule Appointment’, choose your category (Normal/Tatkal) and the preferred PSK. Once you enter these details, click on Book Appointment. Here you will be able to choose a date and time for your appointment.

Following this, you will get an Application Receipt. You will need to carry a print of this, as well as originals of other necessary documents, when you go for your appointment. Do make sure you attend the appointment on the said date and time.

If for some unforeseen reason, you cannot attend your appointment as planned, you can reschedule it. Please note, you are allowed to reschedule your appointment a maximum of two times within a year after making the appointment. In case you miss your appointment, you will need to go through the entire appointment process once again.

Also note, that if you fail to attend your appointment within one year of applying, the payment that you have made will not be refunded.

Your appointment at the PSK office

On the day of your appointment, make your way to the PSK office. Once you are here, you will be called in depending upon your batch number. You will need to go through a security check. Following this, you will be issued a token. This works on a First-in-first-out basis and will be used for sequential processing of the application. You will need to wait in the waiting lounge till your token number is displayed on the token screen. From here, you will need to proceed to the designated Counter ‘A’.

Here the Citizen Service Executive will scan and upload your documents into the Passport Seva portal. Your photograph and fingerprints will be captured. Once this is done, your personal details will be printed and handed over to you for verification and signature. This is then scanned and uploaded into the portal.

From here you will need to proceed to the waiting lounge and wait once again till your token number is called out for further processing at counter ‘B’. Your original documents will be verified and checked here by a Verification Officer. Once this is done, you need to wait once again, till your token number is called for processing at Counter ‘C’.

The Granting Officer at Counter ‘C’ then takes a call on whether to grant you a passport or not. If the status is ‘Granted’ the passport printing will be initiated on a No/Post Police Verification basis. In some cases, the printing of your passport will be initiated only after a detailed police report is received.

You will then need to collect your Acknowledgement Letter, which is a status of your passport application, from the exit counter. You must keep this to track the status of your application.

What happens after the appointment?

Once your appointment is processed, police verification (PV) will be done. The mode of the PV will be printed on the acknowledgement letter.

The PV mode is typically set to Pre. Only if applicants belong to a special category (employees of Government/PSU/Statutory Body/Retired Government Officials, etc) will they come under the Post or No PV mode.

In case of Pre PV, the verification will be carried out before the issue of the passport. This typically takes place within 3 days of issue of Police Verification Report (PVR) from the police department. In case of Post PV, the verification happens after the passport is issued; a PVR is not required. In case of No PV, no police verification is carried out.

How long does it take to get my passport?

Your passport will be delivered by Speed Post to the address mentioned on the application form. It is preferable that you are present to collect your passport. Alternately a blood  relation can collect the passport, provided he/she shows the identity card showing relationship, to the postman. In case you would like to pick up your passport in person, you must take prior approval from Assistant Passport Officer (APO)/RPO.

While no timelines are promised, the RPO tries to issue a passport in 45 days time. However, it could take longer, sometimes even 2 to 3 months.

In case of a Tatkal passport, it takes about 30 days excluding the date of submission of application.

Pasport Fees

Passport Fees for fresh passport and reissue of passport for adults.

• 36 pages – Normal: Rs.1500, Tatkal: Rs.3500

• 60 pages – Normal: Rs.2000, Tatkal: Rs.4000

In case of reissue of passport due to your passport being lost or damaged, if the passport validity has not expired, the fees are as follows.

• 36 pages – Normal: Rs.3000, Tatkal: Rs.5000

• 60 pages – Normal: Rs.3500, Tatkal: Rs.5500

PSK offices in Bangalore

Additional Resources

– Passport Application Form Booklet

– Documents Required for Fresh Passport

– Fee Calculator

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