[shankar.balan]

please check on this.

As far as I know the new rules dictate that the Regional Passport Offices no longer allow these touts and agents to submit passport applications/ renewal/ reissue applications on behalf of clients. the applicant (s) have to do this personally along with all relevant documents.

Originally Posted by honeybee

I have sent in my application for renewal through Choudhari Yatra Company. A big mistake that I realized too late. The final date for submitting the appliation was 1st April. I am waiting for a confirmation from them that the application has been submitted to the passport office and a receipt issued. Hopefully I should get the receipt this week along with my original documents.

The attitude wasn't entirely professional as I have had to call up and follow up on almost each and everything after I approached them. Would not recommend them to anyone else, unless it's the last option left.

[StrangeWizard]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Now a days they have every thing on their computer, so your old passport particulars will most probably with them. In your case you should submit your old passport with the renewal request, else you may be going round and round due to red tape. In Delhi at least, police verification is required every time the passport is renewed. The only respite is that instead of verifying before renewal, for Tatkal they do it after issue of new passport.

I have found that until and unless you can wait two months, passport renewal is much smoother using Tatkal facility.

Yup I have to submit my old passport to the office and the agent also said that the police may come to my place for verification.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

please check on this.

As far as I know the new rules dictate that the Regional Passport Offices no longer allow these touts and agents to submit passport applications/ renewal/ reissue applications on behalf of clients. the applicant (s) have to do this personally along with all relevant documents.

As far I know, the procedures have simply become more transparent and easier for individual applicants, so that they don't have to go through agents. I am not aware that agents are NOT allowed to submit applications on behalf of the applicants. Even the people I talked to, who had recently got new passports or renewed their existing ones, recommended other agents to me.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by honeybee

As far I know, the procedures have simply become more transparent and easier for individual applicants, so that they don't have to go through agents. I am not aware that agents are NOT allowed to submit applications on behalf of the applicants. Even the people I talked to, who had recently got new passports or renewed their existing ones, recommended other agents to me.

Before the introduction of the online applications, the applications were filled by hand and that was where the agents came into picture promising to do right from filling the form to the delivery of the passport. With passport offices getting more computerized the need for online application submission became a neccessity sounding a deatn knell for the agent business. Smart people they are the new system could not keep them away for long coz most of the agents have become compute literate and back to their old business of filling application albeit this time online. The agents do fill in the online registration for the applicant. However I have observed one thing is that the insider relationship with the passport officers/clerks have reduced drastically after the 26/11 incident. The passport office is more stricter than earlier and that's a good thing. There are some genuine agents who do a good job with a price but most of them I see hanging around the passport office are the one who want to make a fast buck.

[vnabhi]

I submitted an online request for appointment for 're-issue' of my passport (it is expiring in March, 2012), and I was surprised to get an appointment day after tomorrow at Secunderabad.

Being too soon for my comfort, I changed it to next Wednesday. Let me see how it goes. As I did not have a DD in hand, I did not fill up that information, and now it looks like I need to pay cash over there as the print out says 'Cash' as the option chosen by me.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

There are some genuine agents who do a good job with a price but most of them I see hanging around the passport office are the one who want to make a fast buck.

The only reason for me to approach an agent was I didn't have time to make rounds of the passport office myself. Sadly I ended up making rounds to the agent's office. The only solace is it's nearby. :(

[NFS-II]

Friends,

Anyone here had the chance to successfully book an appointment via the Tatkal mode and renew the passport? I have been trying to get one without any success

[shankar.balan]

join the gang pal. same problem for the last week- ten days. very difficult business this tatkaal appointment thingy. you may want to check my post on the subject a page or two back on this thread.

suggest you use the Normal method and secure an appointment for whenever you can. then in tandem you can keep trying the tatkaal method - in case you strike it lucky and get the tatkaal appointment, you can cancel the normal one. thats what I am trying to do too.

Originally Posted by NFS-II

Friends,

Anyone here had the chance to successfully book an appointment via the Tatkal mode and renew the passport? I have been trying to get one without any success

[honeybee]

I heard from my agent that the passport offices were on strike at around 1st April for a couple of days, against some proposed privatization. As a result the applications have been held up. My date fell on 1 April, so the agent says my application may have to be resubmitted. Dunno if it's true or he is simply making an April Fool out of me.

[NFS-II]

Originally Posted by honeybee

I heard from my agent that the passport offices were on strike at around 1st April for a couple of days, against some proposed privatization. As a result the applications have been held up. My date fell on 1 April, so the agent says my application may have to be resubmitted. Dunno if it's true or he is simply making an April Fool out of me.

Honeybee, I haven't heard/ read anything about the strike!

Further, just for the info, are you getting this job through an agent? if yes, do they help you in securing an appointment? I'm asking this because the whole process is online right from filling in your form to getting an appointment and nowhere I see agent's role.


BTW, in the News and Announcements section on the passport website there is a news that says they are looking at changes to appointment scheduling to improve availability of appointments. I hope this improves the serivce and reduces the delay!

[shankar.balan]

Im pretty sure that in Bangalore at least there is no scope for any agent for the passport renewal process. the only option we have is the online appointment at the PSK.
It might be different in Bombay and other places but I would suggest this is cross checked to be sure.
I truly hope they improve the scheduling process and appointment management process. For example I spoke to their call centre (details are on an earlier page of this thread) and told them that they ought to allow Tatkaal appointment bookings for atleast one week ahead, instead of just 1 day ahead.
They took the complaint and have given me a complaint ref no and assured me that the TCS chaps would be informed about this, so that they can make some improvements. Apparently TCS manages this PSK appointment process and all the admin and operations concerning the Passport Website I hope this is not just an empty assurance but that something positive actually happens.
Until then I shall hold on to my appointment on Normal mode which has been granted for 26th May and in the intervening period shall keep trying the Tatkaal method just in case I strike it lucky!

Originally Posted by NFS-II

Honeybee, I haven't heard/ read anything about the strike!

Further, just for the info, are you getting this job through an agent? if yes, do they help you in securing an appointment? I'm asking this because the whole process is online right from filling in your form to getting an appointment and nowhere I see agent's role.


BTW, in the News and Announcements section on the passport website there is a news that says they are looking at changes to appointment scheduling to improve availability of appointments. I hope this improves the serivce and reduces the delay!

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I submitted an online request for appointment for 're-issue' of my passport (it is expiring in March, 2012), and I was surprised to get an appointment day after tomorrow at Secunderabad.

Being too soon for my comfort, I changed it to next Wednesday. Let me see how it goes. As I did not have a DD in hand, I did not fill up that information, and now it looks like I need to pay cash over there as the print out says 'Cash' as the option chosen by me.

Folks,
Further to the post above, I was preparing all my documents for verification when I go to the Passport Office on April 27th. But on verification, I did not find any place where my appointment was confirmed for that date.

Is there any step I need to do further online to get that date confirmed? All I remember was I first had to choose the place and then the date from the drop down box, after which I was taken to a website where I had to fill my particulars. The last step was to save it as a pdf and then take a print out.

Any pointers would really be helpful.

Thanks

[shankar.balan]

One is supposed to create an user profile on the web application. then one is supposed to go to 'manage my appointment' and then fix it. The appointment, once fixed, will appear along with a reference number on the "my home" page. A printout of the appointment needs to be taken along when one goes to the PSK.
(This is applicable to Bangalore because this is the only recent experience I have.)

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Folks,
Further to the post above, I was preparing all my documents for verification when I go to the Passport Office on April 27th. But on verification, I did not find any place where my appointment was confirmed for that date.

Is there any step I need to do further online to get that date confirmed? All I remember was I first had to choose the place and then the date from the drop down box, after which I was taken to a website where I had to fill my particulars. The last step was to save it as a pdf and then take a print out.

Any pointers would really be helpful.

Thanks

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

One is supposed to create an user profile on the web application. then one is supposed to go to 'manage my appointment' and then fix it. The appointment, once fixed, will appear along with a reference number on the "my home" page. A printout of the appointment needs to be taken along when one goes to the PSK.
(This is applicable to Bangalore because this is the only recent experience I have.)

That is how it used to be for Hyd too, around 2 years ago.

I cross checked once again and did not find any reference to the date, but I do have a refrerence number printed along the side of each page of the printout.

An asterisk at the bottom of the first page however does give some information. It says:

'You may submit your application within 30 days either to the Passport Office between 1000 to 1200 hrs or at any designated E-seva centre between 0800-2000 hrs. Please note that acceptance of applications at the Passport Office is subject to a maximum of 300 Tatkal and 100 ordinary applications per day on first-cum-first served basis'

Given the horror stories at the Passport Office reported regularly in the newspapers, I despatched my son to the E-seva centre at the main RTA office. Fortunately they accept applications for re-issue also, and the guy clarified that I could visit them any day, instead of April 27th. The only caveat was that they accept only DDs and not cash.

So it looks like I have to manually correct the entry under the Cash/ DD column in the form and enter the DD details after I get them.

Let me see how things work out. Will keep you guys posted.

[shankar.balan]

frankly I cannot understand why we cant get a standard procedure across India once and for all.
all this state-wise confusion is terrible.
After all are we one country or not?

Originally Posted by vnabhi

That is how it used to be for Hyd too, around 2 years ago.

I cross checked once again and did not find any reference to the date, but I do have a refrerence number printed along the side of each page of the printout.

An asterisk at the bottom of the first page however does give some information. It says:

'You may submit your application within 30 days either to the Passport Office between 1000 to 1200 hrs or at any designated E-seva centre between 0800-2000 hrs. Please note that acceptance of applications at the Passport Office is subject to a maximum of 300 Tatkal and 100 ordinary applications per day on first-cum-first served basis'

Given the horror stories at the Passport Office reported regularly in the newspapers, I despatched my son to the E-seva centre at the main RTA office. Fortunately they accept applications for re-issue also, and the guy clarified that I could visit them any day, instead of April 27th. The only caveat was that they accept only DDs and not cash.

So it looks like I have to manually correct the entry under the Cash/ DD column in the form and enter the DD details after I get them.

Let me see how things work out. Will keep you guys posted.