Mumbaikars will soon receive their passports within 15 days as police verification to take just a week

All police stations have been instructed to revamp passport verification units and make the process citizen-friendly. Representation pic/istock

Mumbaikars will soon receive their passports within 15 days, as the police have trained officers to complete the passport verification process in just seven days - provided there are no issues with the applicant's documents. As part of the CM's 100-day transformation programme, all 91 police stations in Mumbai are overhauling their passport verification process to make it faster and more efficient. All police stations have been instructed to revamp passport verification units and make the passport verification process citizen-friendly," a senior official told mid-day.

Previously, verification took nearly two weeks or more, but now the Mumbai police aims to complete it in seven working days. "Our target is to clear all verifications within seven days. All 91 police stations have been provided with dedicated passport verification rooms equipped with proper facilities. Officers have also undergone training to speed up the process," said Satyanarayan Choudhary, Joint CP (Law and Order).

If the applicant is in Mumbai and has proper documents, verification will be completed within seven working days. Representation pic/istock

If the applicant is in Mumbai and has proper documents, verification will be completed within seven working days, the official added. To facilitate this, designated officers involved in the verification process have been trained to use the online portal for completing formalities. "The system is digitised, and officers have been provided with tablets to streamline the process," a senior official said. Senior officials also monitor progress during police station visits. "They check the number of completed verifications and inquire about pending applications, ensuring accountability," the officer added.

How the process works

Once an applicant submits their application, the regional passport office assigns a verification date. "The regional passport office initiates the process, and the special branch police alert the local police station, which then physically verifies the applicant's credentials. After document verification and background checks, an online report is submitted to the regional passport office, which then issues the passport once the applicant submits the required documents in person," the officer explained.

For Tatkal applications, passports are issued within 48 hours, but verification follows for a week. If any discrepancies are found in the documents, authorities can ban the applicant from travelling abroad. "Regardless of the type of application, verification will be completed within seven working days," the officer confirmed.

Process for passport verification

1. Submit the application at: [passportindia.gov.in](https://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/onlineHtml/feeDocument.html)
2. Regional passport office issues a verification date.
3. Special branch requests verification.
4. Local police complete verification within seven working days.
5. Background checks are conducted, and an online report is submitted.
6. The applicant visits the regional passport office to complete formalities.
Tatkal passports: Issued within 7 working days.
Regular passports: Issued within 15-30 working days.