Police verification for passports in Delhi to take under five days

Union Minister Amit Shah has said that passport e-verification will now be completed within five days in Delhi, which is a remarkable improvement from the previous process that often took several weeks. Speaking at the 76th Delhi Police Raising Day, which was celebrated on February 16, Shah emphasized the importance of modernising and digitising the police system in India. 

He noted that the use of technology has revolutionized the way we live, work, and communicate, and the police force should also embrace this change to improve its efficiency and effectiveness.

One of the key areas where technology can make a significant difference is in the passport verification process. Previously, the process was manual and time-consuming, often leading to delays in the issuance of passports. However, with the introduction of e-verification, the process has become faster, more reliable, and less prone to errors.

"People living in Delhi will no longer have to worry about their passports as they will now get the police clearance within five days as against the earlier 15 days. A facility for passport verification through mobile phones and tablet computers has been launched. On an average, 2,000 applications for passports are received on a daily basis and their online processing will reduce the problems faced by people," he said.

Abhishek Dubey, the regional passport officer (RPO) for Delhi, said in a statement: “Police verification is an integral part of the passport issuance system. Various steps have been taken to streamline and expedite the process. To further expedite the process, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) introduced the ‘mPassport Police App’.”

The new system is designed to quickly and accurately match the information provided by the applicant with the information in various government databases, such as Aadhaar and PAN, to ensure that there is no discrepancy.

Shah also highlighted the fact that the new system is more secure than the previous process. He said that the use of advanced technology has made it nearly impossible for anyone to manipulate or forge the data, thereby reducing the risk of fraud and ensuring the integrity of the verification process.

The introduction of the new e-verification system is a significant step towards making the passport issuance process more efficient and streamlined. The five-day turnaround time is particularly impressive, as it will enable passport applicants to receive their passports much faster than before. This will not only benefit individual citizens but also help businesses that require their employees to travel abroad.

Shah’s announcement has been welcomed by many, who have praised the government’s efforts to modernize the police system and improve the ease of doing business in India. The move is also expected to boost the country’s tourism industry.

According to statistics on the external affairs ministry’s website, the average time taken nationwide for issuing passports has been cut from 16 days in 2014 to six days in 2022. More than 4.35 million passports were issued across the country in 2022.