Hyderabad passport office surpasses its record, issued 7.85 lakh passports in 2023

Hyderabad: The Regional Passport Office (RPO) of Hyderabad is fifth in the country in the number of passports issued this year with 7,85,485 passports issued in 2023. This has surpassed its previous record of 6,43,157 passports in 2022 at 4,28,246 passports in 2021. It was 5,32,785 passports issued during pre-Covid in 2019.

As of November 2023, India has collectively issued more than 1.5 crore passports and passport-related travel documents across all regions.

The RPO Hyderabad, which includes five Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and 14 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) in Telangana, on average, processes around 4,000 applications every day and has processed around 8.11 lakh applications this year, including services for passport issuance, Police Clearance Certificates (PCC) etc.

In response to the growing demand for passport services in the region, RPO Hyderabad has also initiated special drives on Saturdays throughout the year.

The camp mode service initiated at the RPO premises in Secunderabad in June this year will conclude on December 29. With effect from January 1, 2024, applications have been redirected to other PSKs to streamline services and manage the high volume of applications more effectively.

Special counter for Haj Pilgrims

In collaboration with the Telangana State Haj Committee, a special counter has been established at the Regional Passport Office to expedite the processing of Haj applications. This initiative has processed more than 400 applications in the last 10 days.

Revamped inquiry and appointment system

The inquiry appointment system has been recently overhauled to better serve applicants requiring additional documentation.

Effective since December 1, 2023, there are 250 online appointments available every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. Additionally, applicants can walk in without an appointment every Thursday between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm. The RPO of Hyderabad has processed around 4,500 inquiry appointments this month alone.

Appointment cycle improvements

In collaboration with the postal and police departments, efforts are underway to significantly reduce the current average appointment cycle, which is around 22 days for normal applications and 4-5 days for Tatkaal services.

Applicants are strongly advised to avoid touts, middlemen, and brokers for any service. The Ministry of External Affairs is implementing stringent measures to prevent illegal approaches and ensure transparent and efficient passport services for all citizens.

Expanding Services at POPSKs

Hyderabad RPO is actively working to increase the number of appointments at some of the POPSKs to meet the rising demand. The expansion is expected to be completed within the next few days, further streamlining the passport application process in the region.

Grievance redressal

The MEA is intensifying efforts to address grievances received through various channels, including emails, RTI, CPGRAMs and Twitter. Citizens may reach out to RPO Hyderabad through any of the mentioned channels, and the office is dedicated to promptly and efficiently addressing every concern and query.