PSK Andheri: Passport renewal- a smooth expereince. Review on Passport Seva Kendra

My passport was due for renewal this year.  I was quite  surprised to find that the entire process has been streamlined  unlike my previous experience (10 years back). The entire process was done by me without seeking any agent's assistance. The online form filling facility was quite easy and didn't face any difficulty in filling it. Since I had a address change in my renewal application I thought I would have to go through a tiring & frustrating police verification process.

I had applied for the Andheri PSK, since it was close to my office. After filling the form online I had to wait 3 days to be able to log-in to get the appointment date and time slot. Please keep in mind that daily passport site allows booking of appointment at 3:00 pm and in 15- 20 mins all slots are booked. The appointment date I got was 15 days latter ( that was the only sad part in this entire process). If possible select the first available time slot for a quick process clearance.

Unlike any govt. facilities, Andheri PSK  was very clean. After entering, one will have to go through four counters (First two counters will be manned by TCS staff and last two by Passport officials).

Counter 1 (Documents Check) -  TCS staff will check your documents. Dont forget to carry  your original documents and in case you have forgotten to carry photocopies there is a photocopying facility inside. After checking the documents the person will issue a token number.

Counter 2 ( scanning, Bio-metric & Fees)- Here the TCS staff will a. scan your documents b. take your picture c. finger prints d. Passport fee

The staff was courteous in responding to my queries.

The wait between counter 2 & 3 can get little long but there is a good seating arrangement where one can wait for his/her token no to be flashed on the LCD monitor.

Counter 3 ( Verification by Passport officials)- this is the counter where you will interact with the passport officials. The verification officer will verify your documents and If you have proper documentation, verification will not take much time.

Counter 4 ( Passport Granting Officer)- At this counter  the Granting officer will decide if the passport should be granted or not. It is at his discretion whether  or not you will require police verification or other formalities. Fortunately he approved my renewal application without me having to go through the police verification ( phewww, was a big relief :) ).

Now comes the stage where you are anxiously waiting to get your new passport. The Passport site was very prompt in giving status of the process.  The passport was processed and  delivered to my home within 7 days. You will get an sms when the passport is dispatched from the passport office through  speed post with its tracking number. The  speed post site will update the status at each check points where delivery exchange hands (just like UPS).

So overall it was a smooth process.

Note: Please check the website for all the required documentation before the appointment to ensure that the process is hassle free