Lok Sabha Question No. 3511 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-13
Subject: Passport Services in Punjab
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Dr. Amar Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3511

## ANSWERED ON 13/03/2026

## PASSPORT SERVICES IN PUNJAB

## 3511.  DR. AMAR SINGH

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)   whether   the   Government   has   undertaken   any   assessment   of   the availability, accessibility and efficiency of passport services in the State of Punjab, if so, the details thereof;

(b) the number and location of Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) functioning in Punjab, districtwise, and the average time taken for issuance of passports during the last three years;

(c) whether the Government is aware of delays in appointments, police verification   and   passport   issuance   reported   by   applicants   in   various districts of Punjab, if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether   any   proposals   have   been   received   or   are   under consideration   for   opening   additional   PSKs   or   expanding   capacity   of existing ones in the said State, if so, the details thereof; and (e) the steps being taken to improve service delivery, reduce pendency and ensure timely issuance of passports to residents of Punjab?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## (SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA)

(a) The Passport Seva Program (PSP) is a benchmark in India's e-governance success, demonstrating the power of  digital transformation, Public Private Partnership (PPP) collaboration, and process innovation. In line with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) commitment to enhance the quality of passport-related services and to integrate the latest technological advancements, PSP Version 2.0 (PSP V2.0) was successfully implemented across all Passport Offices in India, along with their respective Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs), including the PSKs/POPSKs in Punjab, on 26 th   May 2025.  The upgraded Passport Seva Programme Version 2.0 (PSP V2.0) aims at providing the next level of citizen experiences using latest and

upgraded technology for delivery of passport related services to the citizens in a speedy, convenient and transparent manner. (b) There are 05 PSKs and 09 POPSKs currently functioning under 03 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) in the State of Punjab. The detail is given below:-

| Name of RPO    | Name Of PSK    | Name of POPSK   |
|----------------|----------------|-----------------|
| RPO Amritsar   | PSK Amritsar   | Ferozpur        |
| RPO Chandigarh | PSK Ludhiana   | Bassi Pathanan  |
| RPO Jalandhar  | PSK Hoshiarpur | Bathinda        |
|                | PSK Jalandhar  | Malerkotla      |
|                | PSK Chandigarh | Patiala         |
|                |                | Ropar           |
|                |                | Moga            |
|                |                | Pathankot       |
|                |                | Phagwara        |

Further, the average time taken for issuance of passports under 3 RPOs in the State of Punjab during the last three years is as under:

| Average time taken for issuance of Passport (excluding Police Verification (PV) time)   | Average time taken for issuance of Passport (excluding Police Verification (PV) time)   | Average time taken for issuance of Passport (excluding Police Verification (PV) time)   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Years                                                                                   | Normal category pass- port                                                              | Tatkaal category pass- port                                                             |
| 2023                                                                                    | 10 WD                                                                                   | 2 WD                                                                                    |
| 2024                                                                                    | 15 WD                                                                                   | 3 WD                                                                                    |
| 2025                                                                                    | 12 WD                                                                                   | 4 WD                                                                                    |

WD = Working Days

(c) Appointments for passport services (normal and Tatkaal passports) under the three RPOs (Amritsar, Chandigarh and Jalandhar) in Punjab are available on next working day. There is no noticeable delay in passport services in Punjab. Passports are issued within 2 - 4 working days for Tatkaal category and 10 - 15 working day for normal category, excluding police verification time. Police verification is conducted within 2 -16 days.

(d)   In 2017, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in association with Department   of   Posts   (DoP)   had   announced   opening   of   Passport   Seva Kendras at the Head Post Offices/Post Offices called Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) in each Lok Sabha Constituency (LSC) where there is no Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) or POPSK.  Under this initiative, all the LSCs in Punjab, except for Taran Taran LSC, are having either a PSK or POPSK. MEA is regularly following up with DoP for opening of a POPSK in Taran Taran LSC, as well. Further, for expanding the capacity in PSKs in Punjab, PSK Jalandhar and PSK Ludhiana were shifted in 2025 to a location with larger space and improved infrastructure.

(e) Passport services are provided through the Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) under three Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) functional in the State of Punjab. Due to the rise in demand and pendency in issuance of passport, MEA has been working continuously to speed up passport issuance and meet high or

seasonal demand for passports by taking various steps including increasing the number of daily appointments and organizing special drives on weekends. Staff from Ministry and other passport offices are also deployed to clear the pendency. As part of the special drive, walk-in appointments are given by RPO for expeditiously clearing the pending files. Passport adalats are also conducted to clear pending passport applications under the respective RPOs. Mobile Passport Van facility has been provided at all 37 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs), including RPOs in Punjab, to increase the outreach of the RPO and provide passport service at remote, rural and underserved areas under the respective RPOs.

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