Hyderabad Regional Passport Office to Improve Services
The Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Hyderabad is working on reducing the waiting time for normal passport appointments. Currently, it takes six to eight working days to get an appointment, but the RPO plans to lower this to just five to six working days. Additionally, a few Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in the city are set to be relocated to better locations soon.
Highlighting last year’s achievements, Regional Passport Officer J. Snehaja shared that the Hyderabad RPO managed five PSKs and 14 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) while processing an average of 4,200 applications daily. In 2024, the office handled around 9.02 lakh applications, which included issuing passports, providing police clearance certificates, and other related services. The RPO also expanded appointment availability not only in Hyderabad but also in cities like Warangal, Khammam, Vikarabad, Mechal, Mahbubnagar, and Nalgonda to meet rising demand. The officer emphasized that the need for middlemen in securing passports has been eliminated.
For Tatkal passports, delivery timelines were reduced to one to three working days, while normal passports were processed in five to seven working days, excluding police verification time. In 2024, the appointment cycle for normal passports was reduced from 22 working days in 2023 to an average of six to eight working days. The office also addressed over 10,000 emails and resolved grievances within one to three working days. Additionally, more than 30,000 applicants benefited from the walk-in facility for inquiry appointments on Thursdays. To improve grievance redressal, the RPO introduced a dedicated WhatsApp helpline at 8121401532, complementing other channels like email, RTI, CPGRAMS, and Twitter.
Regarding the relocation of PSKs and mobile services, the officer announced plans to move PSKs, including those at Tolichowki and Ameerpet, to better locations to improve accessibility. The RPO also aims to increase the number of appointments during the first half of the year to accommodate more applicants. Furthermore, the mobile van stationed at the POPSK in Kamareddy has been instrumental in addressing local passport-related issues effectively.
