My experience with reissue of Passport

I want to share my terrible experience to get reissue of damaged passport. I'm from Guntur,AP from past two years I'm in Bangalore. My passport got damaged with water marks, though it's damaged but it was readable.  I traveled with this damaged passport to France 3 times, no one questioned at France airport anytime during those three trips. but every time when I landed in India, our immigration team screams at me and asked to replace the passport.  So I decided to apply for reissue of passport and also to include my spouse name.

First I registered in Passport website and fill the form. There are two ways you can apply for passport once you login.

•  First one is you can download the pdf file and fill it, there is a button to validate and save, it generates the XML file in the current directory. Same file you need to upload in the site.  
• Second option is you can directly fill the form in the website and submit.
• After this you have to take the appointment with the selected dates.

I selected second option and to took appointment at Vijayawada(No address change) on Feb-12 though I'm staying in Bangalore because I read in the internet that for damaged passport with the same residence address would not have police verification. 

I visited the passport office with Xerox copies and original documents. 

I went inside to passport seva kendra, I  have taken the token number at reception after verifying all the documents as a quick check.

In Countre A, TCS employee scanned the documents and uploaded into system. Took the finger print, photo and fee. 

Reached Counter B, Passport officer verified the originals documents again asked some questions then went to Counter C. They had initiated pre-police verification. That means I will get passport only after successful police verification. 

It's over at PSK. 

Now the story began......

I was back to Bangalore without police verification completes. Police had visited my house later and he came to know I'm staying in Bangalore. My parents tried to convince him to write clear police verification report to passport office. We felt police might have given the clear report but not sure.

My passport status in the passport website shows.

"Police has completed verification process on 10/05/2012. Your passport will be dispatched after 'Clear' Police Verification Report is received at Regional Passport Office. You would receive an email/sms once the passport is dispatched".

I waited for two months I filled  RTI template and posted to Secunderbad regional passport office. In a week I got a reply from regional passport office saying we can't issue a passport because we received adverse police report. You can see the response below.

I went to Secunderabad passport office immediately and approached  broker re-initiate the police verification  in Bangalore address. I paid him Rs 2000/- to get it done quickly. Back to Bangalore. I thought it will done easily. I waited for two weeks, no police verification happened. I inquired in local police station and commissioner office but they did not receive my profile.

Again went to Secunderabad passport office immediately, this time I went on my own instead of approaching broker. At regional passport office(not the passport seva kendra) there was a long Q(I was in Q by 9:30 AM) with 3 counters to go one after one. Finally I closed the passport application at Hyderabad and collected the closing letter. I left regional passport office around 4:30 PM.

After these many struggles, I applied for reissue of passport freshly in Bangalore.

Process at Bangalore

 I applied for Tatkal passport in Bangalore. I took all the below documents.

1. Company HR letter.
2. HP Gas connection.
3. Gas bill receipt.
4. Airtel Landline connection.
5. Marriage certificate
6. Anexure L for damaged passport

I took the appointment at first slot i.e on 9AM on 5th-Sep-12. At the first reception place, they verified all the documents and sent me inside with token number.

Counter A: TCS employee scanned all the original documents, took the fee. As it was a damaged passport TCS employee did not allowed for Tatkal application, need to approved by passport officer for tatkal application in the next counters.

Counter B: Passport officer verified all the original documents and sent to counter C, again a passport office r to decide tatkal or not.

Counter C: I requested him to convert my application to taktal, he said I had a 'Adverse' report on previous application at Secunderabad and this passport is damaged, so can't be issued. I showed him closing letter from Secunderabad and all the letter's in the passport is visible thought it was damaged. He verified the existing passport has clear report(I don't know what he verified) or not. Accepted for tatkal, I paid the remaining fee for tatkal.

Immediate I verified the status in my mobile after came out from passport office.
The status was

"Your passport has been printed and you will get an sms once it's delivered".   How funny :-)

After two days police had come to my home for verification( usually Police verification happens after passport delivery in case of tatkal, here in Bangalore it's very fast) as he received the application. He took Rs 500 as usual. 

The next day after police verification, received my passport on 8th-Sep-12 

Story ended :-( :-)