It is time to say Goodbye for a month-long passport acquiring process which included a police verification process. The ministry of external affairs has announced two major changes that will fast-track the process for first-time passport applicants and make it more convenient to secure an appointment at the local passport seva kendra.
Citizens will be granted a fresh passport under the normal category in a week if their applications are accompanied by three documents –
1.)copies of Aadhaar card,
2.)electoral photo identity card (EPIC) and
3.) PAN card –
besides an affidavit in the format of Annexure-I (declaration of citizenship, family details and no criminal record).
Police verification of such applications will be conducted after the passport is issued. There will be no extra charge for the service, a statement issued by the ministry said. The process is subject to online validation of the Aadhaar number while processing and an approval from the granting officer.
Here is Minister Sushma Swaraj/s tweet announcing the changes in the procedure,
1. If you submit application with copies of Aadhar, Voter ID and PAN Card with an affidavit of no criminal case, we will issue the Passport.
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 25, 2016
The idea of the upgrade is to liberalise the process without compromising on security. This step will definitely help the fresh applicants to procure the passport easily.
