NEW DELHI, Aug 29: The online portal for passport applications will be shut for the next five days for a maintenance exercise, the government has said. No new appointments can be scheduled during this period and appointments booked earlier will be rescheduled.
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“Passport Seva portal will be down for technical maintenance from 29th August 2024, Thursday 20:00 hrs IST to 2nd September, Monday 06:00 hrs IST. System will not be available during this period for citizens and for all MEA/RPO/BOI/ISP/DoP/Police Authorities. The already booked appointments for 30th August 2024 will be suitably rescheduled and informed to applicants,” a note on the Passport Seva portal said.
The External Affairs Ministry said this is a routine procedure. “For rescheduling of appointments, we always have contingency plans. The maintenance activity for a public centric service (like Passport Seva Kendras) is always planned in advance so that no inconvenience is meted out to public. So rescheduling an appointment will not be a challenge,” a source from the ministry has said.
The Passport Seva portal is used to book appointments at centres across the country to apply for a new passport or to renew a passport. On the day of appointment, applicants must reach the passport centres and provide their documents for verification. Following this, a police verification takes place and then, the passport reaches the applicant’s address.
Applicants can opt for the regular mode, in which the passport reaches the applicant within 30-45 working days, or the Tatkaal mode in which it reaches within days. (NDTV)