In our first part of article How to Apply for Passport ,Fill Form,Pay and Schedule Appointment, discussed in detail about Indian passport, Tatkal vs Normal how to apply for passport in India, fresh or reissue of Indian Passport, pay and schedule Appointment. Part II of the article talks about what Documents to take to Passport Seva Kendra on Appointment Date, what happens inside the Passport Seva Kendra, What is ECR, ECNR , Police Verification, Tracking status.

Steps for Applying for Passport

Steps to Apply for a new passport or reissue of old one is as follows. Please read the instruction booklet Quick Guide Steps to apply for Passport Service for details

• Register for the first time at Passport Seva Online website.
• Login at Passport Seva Online Portal
• Apply for Fresh Passport/Reissue of Passport.
• You can either download the form, fill it and upload it back to the website, or just fill the details online.
• After filling the form , either online or offline, Submit Application
• Pay and Schedule Appointment.
• Appointment Confirmation with all the details of your appointment at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK).
• Print Application Receipt for appointment confirmation.
• On the day of appointment visit Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) with your receipt.
• Give your biometrics (finger prints), have the documents verified, collect acknowledgement. It takes around 2-4 hours.
• You’ll get your passport after police verification is complete.
• You can check the status of your application

ECR/ECNR

As per the Emigration Act,emigration of 1983, Emigration means Indian citizen leaving India with the intent of taking up employment in a foreign country. ECR stands for Emigration Check Required and ECNR stands for Emigration Check Not Required. If you have passed class 10th then by Default you are in ECNR categories. 

ECR full form is Emigration Check Required.

• If you have not passed class 10th your passport will come in ECR (Emigration Check Required) categories.   It means you have to get clearance from immigration office when you are going out of India for employment in listed countries
• If  you are travelling to any of the listed  countries for purposes other than employment (ex- visit, business, and any other purpose), you don’t require emigration clearance.
• If you are travelling to any country other listed countries  you don’t require emigration clearance, irrespective of whether you are eligible for ECNR or not, you don’t require emigration clearance.

If your passport status is ECR then you have to get clearance from immigration office for following countries :  Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Oman, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Yemen.

For passports issued before January 2007, no notation in the passport means ECR.
For passports issued in or after January 2007, no notation in the passport means ECNR.

If Emigration Check is Required, there will be an endorsement in the passport regarding ECR i.e In ECR passport, stamp will be on your passport page. In stamp, it clearly written ECR  Emigration Check Required as shown in image below.

ECR in passport

Documents to take on Visit to Passport Office on Appointment date

When you visit the passport office you need to take Original documents along with one self-attested duplicate copies of the following documents:

• Proof of address  Water/telephone/electricity/gas bill or income tax assessment order or election ID card, parent’s passport in case of a minor etc.) Proof of Gas Connection, Certificate from Employer of reputed companies on letter head, Spouse’s passport copy (First and last page including family details), (provided the applicant’s present address matches the address mentioned in the spouses passport), Parent’s passport copy, in case of minors(First and last page), Aadhaar Card, Registered Rent Agreement, Photo Passbook of running Bank Account (Scheduled Public Sector Banks, Scheduled Private Sector Indian Banks and Regional Rural Banks only)
• Proof of date of birth Birth certificate issued by a Municipal Authority or any office authorized to issue Birth and Death Certificate by the Registrar of Births & Deaths. For illiterate Annexure has to be filled in.
• Document for ECNR : Class Xth or your graduation certificate.

 You can also check the list of documents required by filling appropriate details on http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/docAdvisor/displayAttachmentsTest. Click on Before you Apply – Documents Required

Normal passport applications of all first time applicants furnishing Aadhaar, Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC), Permanent Account Number (PAN) Card and an affidavit in the format of Annexure-I will be processed on Post-Police Verification basis, enabling faster issue of passport, without payment of any additional fees, subject to successful online validation of Aadhaar number. In addition, EPIC and PAN card may also be validated, if required, from the respective databases. The general rules, regulations and procedures pertaining to issue of passports as stipulated in Passports Act and Passports Rule would apply.

Visit to Passport Office on Appointment date

Visit the Passport Seva Kendra on scheduled date with Application receipt, Original Documents & one copy of self attested documents. If you are taking passport for minor, please take original passport of both the parents . One parent is allowed with minor. Images are from the official presentation of steps to submit application at Passport Seva Kendra 

Security check at Passport Save Kendra

Reach 15 minutes before the Scheduled Time. No use of reaching early as guard will not let you in. You need to show the application to guard to enter. Process for submitting application in Passport Seva Kendra is given in image below. There is a Xerox machine and ATM within the Passport Seva Kendra premises.

Process for Submitting Passport in PSK

Token Issuance

In the preprocessing area, show the documents . If everything is OK you will be given a token and a file. Else you will be told if any of the documents are missing. Next day you can go without appointment.

Token contains Token number. You have to go to 3 counters A,B and C. While waiting for your token you wait in the lounge area.

Waiting Area in Passport Seva Kendra and Token Display

Enter the Waiting area. Wait till your token number is displayed on Token Display Screen as shown in image below.  Token numbers start with N,S,T,W. I assume N is for Normal. What does T,W,S stand for. If you know please do share.

 A Counter , B Counter, C Counter

One gets to A counter very fast, within 30 mins-1 hour of arrival. But getting to Counter B and Counter C takes times, as there are more people at counter A than Counter B and Counter C. In Bangalore it took me more than 2 hours to complete the process. I spent time reading my book and having coffee from canteen in the waiting lounge. There are toilets also in waiting area.

Waiting area in Passport Save Kendra

A Counter where your your documents will be scanned and uploaded into the Passport Seva System. Your photograph will be clicked, your finger prints taken. If you want to pay for SMS intimation, you can pay Rs 40 at the counter and collect the receipt. Then you will receive alert messages from the passport office, such as:
1) Passport application received.
2) Police verification initiated
3) Police will now approach you for the verification
4) Verification has been positive
5) Your passport is now being printed
6) Your passport is printed and mailed through speedpost with the following number for online tracking: XXXXXXXX.
7) Your passport has been delivered to you.

At Counter B: The officer checks original documents for verification and correctness as shown in image below.

At Counter C: Designated officer takes decision for granting the passport.

Acknowledgement Letter

From the exit gate collect the Acknowledgement letter as shown in image below.

Collect Acknowledgement letter at Exit

Tracking Passport Application status

If you want to track your application status & check the status online. Alternatively you can call on 1800-258-1800. There is also mPassport Seva App on Android, iOS, Windows and BlackBerry Platforms. This enables easy tracking and also has other information related to passport services.

If want to file any grievance you can login using your details. . You can file your grievance on http://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/ccgm/ServiceRequestHomeAction.  For more details read

Police Verification for Passport

There is No Police Verification for Minor Passport. There are three primary modes of police verification depending on when the police verifies the identity of the applicant – before the passport is issued and dispatched, or after the passport has been issued and dispatched. You can read  FAQ on Police Verification at passport website

• Before the passport has been issued: Pre Police Verification.
• After the passport has been issued: Post Police Verification : Example for government employees / PSU employees who submit a No Objection Certificate(NOC) through Annexure M.
• No Police Verification.

As per the provisions of Right to Service Act, police verification for issuing a passport should be completed in 21 days except in Tatkal. That means a police report must be at the RPO(Regional Passport Office) within that time. The time taken for police verification depends on several factors

• The place of PSK where you submit your application and the place of your residence
• The state of police station – if they have dedicated staff for passport verification
• Length of your stay at the present address – police verification will be done at all locations where you resided during last 1 year
• Documentary evidence provided by you

Ministry of External Affairs has decided to do police verification after the passport has been issued, part of government’s efforts to improve and liberalise police verification procedure for passport issuance.. The directive is for first-time applicants through normal category. “...henceforth normal passport applications of all first time applicants furnishing Aadhaar, Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC), Permanent Account Number (PAN) and an affidavit will be processed on post-police verification basis, enabling faster issue of passport, without payment of any additional fees,” a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs said.

My experience: I received SMS from the police department with list of documents & time for verification two days after I submitted my application for Reissue of passport . I visited the police station with required documents (with 1 set of copies) and photograph. Police officer asked me to fill forms , checked my documents. And said OK. After 1 week I got SMS that police verification is complete.

Unless there is discrepancy or inadequacy in the documents you produce for police verification, it will be done in one visit – provided the police authority is available. No one asks for bribe but I saw people giving Rs 100 with request to fasten the process.

Getting the Passport

After the police verification, the police sends the recommendation report to passport office. Based on the recommendations it is either goes for further review or further processing (printing & then dispatch). The speedpost will add 3-5 days depending on your mailing address and your availability to receive it.

If you reside in one of the 4 major metro cities, the Passport offices there have started this drive to deliver passports within 4 weeks.  The other metro cities this varies from between 4-6 weeks. Other parts from what I have seen it can take between a month to 12 months.

I received my passport within 15 days in Normal category in Bangalore. I received SMS (as I had enrolled for the service) that Your passport is printed and mailed through speedpost with the following number for online tracking: XXXXXXXX. When the postman came to my house I had to show my photo ID proof and I got my passport.

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Have you applied for passport? How was your experience in getting the passport?