Passport Renewal in 2023: How the Process Will Work

Passport renewal are not automatic. Every time you renew your passport, you need to go to a passport facility or passport office, as they are called in India, to get it checked and updated. And this time around, there is a new wrinkle: The process is likely to get more complicated. As the country speeds up with the Digital India campaign and aims to make itself more cyber-secure and digitized, so will the Indian passport. Passports will be issued via a mobile app only by 2023. The government has also introduced stricter checks and measures at all passport offices and visa divisions in recent months that could make it harder for expats and others to get their documents renewed as well.

How to get a passport renewed?

If you are an Indian citizen and want to renew your passport, you will be required to go to a passport office to get your passport renewed. You can either visit passport offices in your area or travel to a different city where they have passport offices. The passport office where you are renewing your passport is the same office where you applied for your first passport. You may have to visit the same branch or office where you applied for your passport or you can even visit different offices. As of now, you need to visit a passport office only once every five years. But starting July 1, 2020, you will have to visit a passport office every 12 months to get your passport renewed. The only exception to this rule is if you are applying for a travel document that lets you leave the country for a specific period, like a travel document for a pilgrimage.

Stricter rules for passport office appointments and online application

If you are visiting a passport office to renew your passport, you will find it more difficult to get an appointment. Some passport offices might even be closed on some days of the week. These stricter rules have been introduced to prevent misuse and corruption in the process. If you want to renew your passport in a particular office, you will have to apply online at least 10 business days before your expired passport is due. Travel agents and other service providers who help people get passports are not permitted to help them apply online. Trading in passports online is also banned. After you apply online, you will be allotted a unique passport delivery address where your passport will be dispatched. The address you are provided should be the same address where you applied for the passport, or close to it, for your address details to be sent to the Passport Office by the post office.

The e-Visu option will be introduced from July

The Passport Office will also start issuing passports via an e-voucher system. In this system, the Ministry of External Affairs will issue a 12-digit e-Visa ID number to people who have applied for a passport through the e-Visa portal. The e-Visa IDs will be made available to applicants through the portal and the applicants will have to keep the e-Visa ID number with them at all times. With an e-Visa, applicants will have to enter the e-Visa ID number while making an appointment or while applying for a travel document at a passport office. If they don’t have the e-Visa ID with them, they will not be able to apply for a travel document or make an appointment.

A mobile app for passport issuance only by 2023

All the steps mentioned above will not only make it easier for the Indians to get their passports renewed, but also for those who are visiting the country. The government is working on a mobile app to issue passports. The app is expected to be operational in the first half of 2020. Once implemented, people will have to apply for passports only through the app. Applying for a passport through the app will enable the applicant to make travel plans right away. It will also make it easier for the government to monitor travel plans of its citizens.

The biometric update is likely to be introduced in the next two years

The biometric update will enable applicants to get their fingerprints and facial scans captured at the passport office. This biometric update is expected to be implemented from 2023. It will make the process of renewing passports more efficient and faster. The data capture process will be automated and it will be done using facial recognition software. Once this update is implemented, applicants will not have to visit a passport office to get their biometrics updated. All they will have to do is visit the designated facility once every five years.

Conclusion

The Indian government is making it more difficult to get a passport. The e-Visa process will be more expensive and the biometric update will be implemented only in 2023. Foreigners and NRIs will even have it more difficult, as they will have to visit a passport office every 12 months. These are some of the major changes that have been implemented in the Indian passport. These changes are aimed at improving the security of the passport and making sure that only the genuine citizens use their Indian passports.