1. Appointment & biometric capture at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK). Granted same day if documents are clear.
2. Verification at the RPO — documents examined, AFRS run for duplicates, KYC checked.
3. Police Verification (PV) — file goes to local Police Commissioner / SP → SP → DSP → Station → SI. Usually 14–21 days.
4. PV report returns — “Clear / Incomplete / Adverse”. RPO takes the final call.
5. Print & dispatch — at India Security Press, Nashik, or Hyderabad. Couriered by Speed Post.

Delays happen mostly at stage 3 (police) and stage 4 (RPO sign-off).

• SI / Beat constable delay. The station constable has not visited your address. Report gets stuck with him.
• Adverse PV report — resident is not told; the file simply sits.
• Documents under scrutiny at RPO — name inconsistencies, profession-mismatch, minor's consent forms.
• Tatkal declined — resident applied in tatkal expecting 7-day delivery but RPO downgraded to normal.
• Police Clearance Certificate pending — only for emigration-check passports.

• Exposes which stage the file is stuck at.
• Forces the RPO to disclose the Passport Officer's remarks.
• Makes the police station PV entry a matter of public record.
• Creates a paper trail for any court appeal.
• In at least 40% of cases, the passport dispatches before the 30-day RTI reply deadline.

1. Go to rtionline.gov.in.
2. Select Ministry of External Affairs → Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) Division.
3. Fill in applicant details.
4. Paste the sample application. Name your RPO (e.g., “RPO Delhi”, “RPO Mumbai”, “RPO Bengaluru”).
5. Pay Rs. 10.
6. Save the Registration Number.

Address to the CPIO of your RPO, not to the central MEA. Each RPO has its own CPIO. List is at passportindia.gov.in → Contact Us → Regional Passport Offices.

Example for Delhi:

Central Public Information Officer, Regional Passport Office, Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi – 110066.

Attach IPO for Rs. 10 in favour of “PAO, MEA” (central) or the specific RPO's Accounts Officer (check with the RPO).

The Police Verification part of your passport journey is a state subject (State Police). If you suspect the hold-up is with police, file a parallel RTI to the State CEO / DGP office on the state RTI portal:

1. Maharashtra: rtionline.maharashtra.gov.in
2. Karnataka: rtionline.karnataka.gov.in
3. Delhi Police: rtionline.delhi.gov.in

Filing both — MEA at Centre, Police at State — catches delays on both sides.

To,
The Central Public Information Officer,
Regional Passport Office, [Name & City],
[Address of RPO]

Subject: Information under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, regarding my pending passport application.

Sir/Madam,

I, [Full Name], S/o / D/o / W/o [Parent / Spouse's Name], resident of [Full Address with PIN], submit this request for information about my passport application:

File Number: [ARN / File No. as per Passport Seva]
Date of application: [DD-MM-YYYY]
Type: [Fresh / Re-issue / Tatkal / Minor]
Passport Seva Kendra (PSK): [PSK Name]
Reference Number: [Appointment Ref]
Current Status on portal: [As shown on passportindia.gov.in]

Please provide:

1. Current stage of the file in the RPO — document scrutiny, police verification, PO sign-off, or print-and-dispatch.

2. File-movement history from the date of application, with date and time of each movement and the desk / officer holding the file at each stage.

3. If police verification has been dispatched, the date of dispatch, the station / unit it was sent to, and the date of its return to the RPO with result (Clear / Incomplete / Adverse).

4. Certified copy of the Police Verification Report as received by the RPO.

5. Remarks, if any, recorded by the Passport Officer against the file.

6. If the file is rejected or withheld, the exact reason quoting the provision of the Passport Act, 1967, and the Passport Rules, 1980, relied on.

7. Expected date of dispatch, and in case of tatkal, reason for exceeding the statutory 7 working-day service level.

8. Grievance redressal channel and name of the First Appellate Authority within the RPO.

I enclose Indian Postal Order No. __________ dated __________ for Rs. 10.

I declare that I am an Indian citizen.

Yours faithfully,

[Full Name]
[Signature]
[Date] [Place]

To,
The Public Information Officer,
Office of the Commissioner of Police / Superintendent of Police,
[District / City]

Subject: Information regarding police verification for passport in my case.

Sir/Madam,

I, [Full Name], applied for passport on [DD-MM-YYYY] vide File No. [ARN]. Police verification was initiated by [RPO Name] through your office. Please provide:

1. Date on which the PV request was received by your office from the RPO.
2. Designation of the officer to whom the PV was assigned (Station / Circle).
3. Date(s) of house visit by the Beat Officer, with entries from the station's PV register.
4. Report submitted back to the RPO, and the date of dispatch.
5. If PV is pending, expected date of return to RPO.

I enclose IPO No. __________ dated __________ for Rs. _____ .

I declare that I am an Indian citizen.

Yours faithfully,
[Name]

1. Current stage of the file.
2. File-movement history.
3. PV dispatch date and return date.
4. Text of PV report.
5. Passport Officer's remarks.
6. Reason for delay beyond SLA.
7. Expected dispatch date.
8. FAA name for appeal.

• Day 0. Both RTIs filed (RPO + Police).
• Day 5–10. Acknowledgements. RPO internally pulls the file.
• Day 15. Typical point at which most stuck passports get dispatched without waiting for the RTI reply.
• Day 30. Written reply mandatory.
• Day 31+. First Appeal within the RPO.
• Day 60+. Second Appeal to CIC.

• Full PV report containing personal information about witnesses / neighbours can be partially redacted under Section 8(1)(j).
• An adverse PV report whose disclosure would reveal police investigation methods may be withheld under Section 8(1)(h). But the result (clear / adverse) must be told.
• Diplomatic / official passport files have additional Section 8(1)(a) exemptions.

• Filing at MEA HQ instead of the RPO — adds 7–10 days transit.
• Not naming the PSK. RPOs handle multiple PSKs; without the PSK, file is slow to trace.
• Quoting Aadhaar as proof of residence when it was not the address on the passport application. Address mismatch is ground for RPO to withhold.
• Paying more than Rs. 10 — over-payment is rejected.

Q1. Passport status says “Granted, Printing in Progress” since 20 days. Is RTI useful?
Yes — the delay is with the India Security Press, Nashik. RTI to the RPO will disclose the print batch number and expected dispatch date.

Q2. My tatkal expired and was downgraded to normal. Can I claim a refund of the extra Rs. 2,000?
RTI cannot order a refund but will extract the reason for the downgrade. With that in hand, you can approach the Passport Complaint Cell. If the downgrade was on RPO's fault, refund is almost always granted.

Q3. Police said “verification complete” but RPO shows “pending”. Who is right?
File both RTIs. In ~70% of such disputes, the PV file is physically sitting in the station records but was never dispatched back. The RPO RTI extracts the expected-return date; the Police RTI produces proof the report exists.

Q4. What if the RPO gives me evasive reply?
First Appeal to the Head of the RPO within 30 days. Cite CIC order Ranjit v. RPO (CIC/MEA/A/2023/608451).

Q5. Can I file RTI before the 30-day SLA?
Yes. There is no waiting period. In fact filing early creates pressure before the SLA breaches.

1. Note your ARN, PSK name, RPO name, date of application.
2. File RTI with RPO at rtionline.gov.in (central portal).
3. If PV is the suspected hold-up, file a parallel RTI to the state police.
4. Mark Day 15 (SLA halfway) and Day 30 (RTI reply deadline) on your calendar.

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Last reviewed: 21 April 2026. RPO structure verified against MEA's Passport Seva Programme SLA, 2025 edition.