MALAPPURAM: In an effort to streamline police verification process for passport issuance and cut down time, Kerala Police have readied an app, according to official sources. The app, ‘e-VIP’, launched in Malappuram district on a trial basis on Nov.1, 2017, proved a roaring success.

“The app will cut down the verification time from existing 21 days to seven. State-wide launch will be announced soon. We are trying to further reduce the number of days to four like in Andhra Pradesh”, Director General of Police (DGP) Loknath Behera said.

By using the app, police ensures the applicant is not summoned to the police station for verification. It allows people to view the status of application and get information on when the police officer will visit their houses for verification.

In November, the Regional Passport Office in Chandigarh launched the ‘‘mPassport Police App’ to digitalise and cut delays in the police verification process for issuing passports. The app can be downloaded and operated on Android mobile phones. The police officer can directly update the verification report digitally in the system. The officer would visit the passport applicant and fill the form on his cell phone and report can be saved on the server of police department after being sent to passport office.

In 2016, Ministry of External Affairs decided to accept police verification after the passport has been issued, making the process of issuing a passport easier, quicker and definitely better. Union government’s efforts to improve and liberalise police verification procedure for passport issuance were widely welcomed.

Earlier, police verification for passport took 49 days, which was reduced to 42 in 2014, 34 in 2015, and 21 the same year.

Police verification has been a crucial part of the entire process of getting a passport and stayed that way since inception. The modalities of police verification have undergone various changes from time to time, whereas the principles have remained the same that is, ascertaining the applicant’s identity, citizenship and absence of criminal antecedents.

Citizens will be granted a fresh passport under the normal category in a week if their applications are accompanied by three documents - copies of Aaadhar card, electoral photo identity card (EPIC) and PAN card - besides an affidavit in the format of Annexure-I (declaration of citizenship, family details and no criminal record).