Hyderabad: Passport Seva Kendras see heavy rush – Check appointment availability

Hyderabad: Passport Seva Kendras located in Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana are witnessing an unprecedented rush due to high demand. As per the official website of Passport Seva, no appointment date is available in 2022.

Despite arranging special passport drives on Saturdays for the past three weeks, the wait time for appointment dates at all PSKs in Telangana has not come down.

PSKs in Hyderabad see rise in Passport demand during past five months

During the past five months, the PSKs in Hyderabad and other districts are seeing a rise in passport demand. It could be due to the COVID pandemic.

During the pandemic, people were unable to travel due to restrictions. As 2022 was the first normal year after the outbreak of the pandemic, people were seen rushing to PSKs either to apply for a new passport or renew an expired one.

As job seekers, students and tourists are gearing up to travel, the PSKs are seeing a rise in passport demand.

Apart from it, FIFA World Cup, Christmas, and New Year celebrations are also contributing to the surge in passport demand and increase in waiting time for appointments at PSKs in Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana.

Steps taken to handle passport rush

Apart from conducting special passport drives in Hyderabad on Saturdays, the authorities have increased the number of slots at the five PSKs. Each PSKs is releasing 50 additional slots.

Out of these five PSKs, three are located in Hyderabad. They are

1. PSK Ameerpet
2. PSK Begumpet
3. PSK Tolichowki

How to apply for passport?

Those who want to apply for a fresh passport or renew their expired passport need to apply on the Passport Seva website.

Steps to apply for passport at PSK in Hyderabad

1. Visit the official website of Passport Seva (click here).
2. New users need to register whereas, existing users can log in to the portal.
3. Once logged in, click on the link ‘Apply for Fresh Passport/Re-issue of Passport’.
4. Applicants can fill out the form online or download it, fill it out offline and then upload it.
5. After filling out the form, applicants have to pay which varies for various categories of passports.
6. Once payment is done, applicants can book passport appointment slots at PSKs.
7. At PSK, applicants have to pass through various stages.
8. Finally, after police verification, the passport will be posted to the address mentioned in the application form.

Passport appointment availability in Hyderabad

The earliest passport appointment i.e., January 30 is available at all three PSKs in Hyderabad under the tatkal quota. Under normal quota, the earliest appointment, February 2, is available at PSK Ameerpet and PSK Begumpet.