Passport Seva Online Portal Scheduled for Maintenance: Important Details to Note
The Passport Seva online portal will be temporarily inaccessible, posing potential difficulties for travelers. The government has announced that the portal, essential for processing passport applications, will be offline for the next five days starting from 8 PM today. During this period, users will be unable to book new appointments, and those with existing appointments will see them rescheduled. This interruption is due to essential maintenance work.
The technical maintenance of the Passport Seva portal is slated to begin on Thursday, 29th August 2024, at 20:00 hrs IST and will continue until Monday, 2nd September, at 06:00 hrs IST. This downtime will affect citizens and all relevant authorities, including MEA, RPO, BOI, ISP, DoP, and Police Authorities. The government has assured that appointments initially set for 30th August 2024 will be appropriately rescheduled, with applicants duly informed.
An official from the Ministry of External Affairs emphasized that contingency plans are always in place to manage rescheduling. The ministry ensures that maintenance for public services, such as Passport Seva Kendras, is meticulously planned to minimize public inconvenience. As a result, rescheduling appointments is expected to proceed without significant issues.
Beware of Fake Websites
The Passport Seva portal has also issued a warning regarding fraudulent websites. The Ministry of External Affairs has identified a proliferation of fake websites and mobile applications that illegally collect applicant data and impose excessive fees for services such as filling out the online application form and scheduling passport-related appointments. These deceptive websites often mimic official domains, using addresses like *.org, *.in, *.com, such as www.indiapassport.org, www.online-passportindia.com, www.passportindiaportal.in, www.passport-india.in, www.passport-seva.in, www.applypassport.org, among others.
Citizens seeking passport and related services are strongly advised to avoid these fraudulent sites and refrain from making any payments through them. The Ministry clarified that the only official website for Passport Seva services under the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, is www.passportindia.gov.in.
