Passport Issue | Catch 22 situation !

honest1

Herald
I know there is already a thread for passport but this one is really unique, hence starting this thread !

So we in a Catch-22 situation and would appreciate your advice. Here’s the context:
  • My wife and I applied for passport renewals in Dec 2024. Our previous passports had expired a year ago, and they were originally issued with an address from another state.
  • Since we shifted to Mumbai 5 years back, we applied with our Mumbai address at the Mumbai Passport Office.
  • The passport issuance went smoothly, and we received them within a day.
Police Verification Issue:
We got an email stating that the police verification request had been sent to the department. Since then:
  • I’ve visited the local police station (dedicated to passport verification) twice.
  • Both times, they said the constable needs to visit my residence first before I can submit the documents to them.
  • The Mumbai police website (https://mumbaipolice.gov.in/passportstatus) that shows verification status isn’t working.
It’s been over 2 months, and I have no updates. Complicating things further:
  • We’re shifting to a new residence next week (this move wasn’t planned earlier).
  • We’re planning a summer trip abroad and need to apply for my child’s passport too.
Now I’m confused:
  1. Should I wait for the current police verification to complete?
  2. Should I apply for my child’s passport with the old address?
  3. Should I inform the passport authorities about the upcoming address change, or will that cause further delays?

Any suggestions or similar experiences would be really helpful! Thanks in advance.
 
Now I’m confused:
  1. Should I wait for the current police verification to complete?
  2. Should I apply for my child’s passport with the old address?
  3. Should I inform the passport authorities about the upcoming address change, or will that cause further delays?

Any suggestions or similar experiences would be really helpful! Thanks in advance.
This is not any expert advice just a opinion.

1)You should wait for your current police verification to complete .

2)And apply Child's passport with Old Address if dont want to pay Tatkal fees. Children's passport will not be much issue.

If ready to pay Tatkal then apply your child's passport with new Address.

3) Last point I dont think you should try that as this will again cause much delay.
 
Generally if you have any kind of travel plans, you should opt for Tatkal services. If it's just for another form of ID, then regular application is fine.

We do regular renewals for my mother. Sometimes it takes a three weeks, other times it takes nine months.

Because you're moving, it would be prudent to pay a bribe and get the police verification done immediately otherwise the new address is going complicate things.

The child's passport application is unrelated to yours, so do that under Tatkal at your new address.

But each passport office and police station is different, so this advice may not apply to you.

Something I don't understand, what is the police verification for? You said you recieved your passport already? That usually means the process is completely and you're free to travel. Is the police verification for a visa application?

I've always had the passport is issued after police verification, never before.

It's possible the police verification email was a glitch, if you already have your new passport in hand.
 
I've always had the passport is issued after police verification, never before.

It's possible the police verification email was a glitch, if you already have your new passport in hand.
Generally Police verification is done to check if person is legal and not illegal migrant .

But for renewed passport it should not be a issue and police verification should have not been there for renewals.
 
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But for renewed passport it should not be a issue and police verification should have not been there for renewals.
Not really. Passport renewal is the same as new passport application, the only thing that changes is that you need to provide old passport details. The process is the same otherwise.

Something I don't understand, what is the police verification for? You said you recieved your passport already? That usually means the process is completely and you're free to travel. Is the police verification for a visa application?
Sometimes post-police verification happens. Passport is issued, and PV is scheduled after that. If the PV fails due to some reason, the passport is not valid.

It’s been over 2 months, and I have no updates.
I am in the process of renewing my passport. I received an email a day after finishing the formalities in the passport office that police verification has been initiated for my file no. The mail explicitly states this - " You are requested to get in touch with the respective police office if verification is not done in three weeks." But mine is in a pre-police verification basis. In your case, I would suggest you to contact the police station again, and if not, register a grievance in the passport india portal. THere is a separate category under type of grievance to choose "police related issues", under which you can choose "PVR not completed" as the sub category.
  1. Should I wait for the current police verification to complete?
  2. Should I apply for my child’s passport with the old address?
  3. Should I inform the passport authorities about the upcoming address change, or will that cause further delays?
1. Yes
2. Yes. As mentioned by @solo_wing, child's passport will be much easier, and sometimes without PV, if both parents hold valid passports with matching details, and if spouse name is endorsed in both parents' passports.
3. No.
 
Unfortunately at least in my side of Kolkata, the lengthiest, worst and most traumatic part of the entire process is the police verification. The a**holes will be always be salivating at the prospect of the lambs coming to slaughter. I have given up trying to understand why it is even needed other than to feed their wallets. The only good thing about tatkal is that they need to hurry due to internal deadlines so you can expect a call on time ( yep ! not early but on time ! ) for you to go to them, pay them through the nose and get it over with. Oh and expect to take a leave and entertain them with belly dancing the whole day. If you go the normal route, best of luck, maybe your next reincarnation will get the call !
I applied for address change as well as renewal, both times Tatkal, so got the calls on time (after the passport came home). Never have they come to visit the premises (I don't think those fatsos can even get their butts to get up lest come all the way to visit).
So always go the Tatkal route unless you are applying for just the heck of it.
 
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I was just reading about that, it's been a few years since the last tatkal renewal so I don't remember it clearly.

Do they write anything in the passport? What's preventing someone from flying out without police verification?
 
What's preventing someone from flying out without police verification?
Nothing. You are legally entitled to travel if you have a valid passport. If the PV goes wrong, and the police give an adverse report, I am guessing that the passport might be blocked or suspended, and you will face issues at the emigration/immigration counter. I have read on quora where people claim that PV happened almost 6 to 7 months after the tatkal passport was issued, by which time they had completed an international travel too.
In the OP's case, since he is changing residence shortly, it would be better if he somehow gets the PV process done before that.
 
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What's preventing someone from flying out without police verification?
This happened to a colleague. He got the passport, completed a trip abroad but came back home only to find that his verification had failed. He had to go to the rat infested Brabourne Road office twice and the Police headquarters in Salt Lake 3-4 times to get the issue resolved.
 
Any suggestions or similar experiences would be really helpful! Thanks in advance.
they just want "khane ka Kharcha", go ask around your circle and you'll find some passport dalals who can make this process a lot easier, otherwise if you can, just simply go to the police station and ask the SP/constable something like, "Sir, khana peena hum kara denge (we can take care of the meals) but please do hurry".
I coughed up around 15k for my passport process, I had some very irritiating document mismatches, and the passport dalal took care of everything, from bribing higher ups in passport office to bribing police officials for it, the constable didnt even bother visiting my home lol, they just verified it on phone
 
  1. Should I wait for the current police verification to complete?
I wonder why you are going through a police ver. if its just a renewal?
I too renewed my passport to a new address in a new city but verification never happened for me and my relatives.
  1. Should I apply for my child’s passport with the old address?
Go the tatkal way on the new address.
  1. Should I inform the passport authorities about the upcoming address change, or will that cause further delays?
Nope, never do this mistake else you will be dealing with more complications like again getting an appointment with passport office for change of new add. etc. and reissue.
 
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Take a bottle of some cheap whiskey to the police station and ask for the number of the cop who will do the verification. Call him and ask him to expedite the verification. Say, "Oh, we came to the PS with something for you, but didn't find you there." When the cop comes to your house (which he definitely will), give him an envelope with some money (300-500). Done.
 
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I wonder why you are going through a police ver. if its just a renewal?
I too renewed my passport to a new address in a new city but verification never happened for me and my relatives.
I've been reading about this, and found out some reports that PV does not happen if renewal is done before expiration of existing passport. Was that true in your case?
 
My passport expired in 2020. So can I apply now for renewal? There is no expiry for renewal right? Just asking.
renewal process same as applying new passport, while applying you would need to enter the details of ur expired passport number & file number... that's it
remaining process is same as applying for new one.

@honest1 - the police verification process seems to differ from each state... in Bengaluru most of the times we get call from station, and they ask us to come over to station to complete physical verification.
in my last passport renewal process, the police person told me to keep my KYC documents handy, next day he came near home and collected it (didn't even come inside the building), verification was approved same day.

I have heard and read online that passport verification process is much smoother in Bengaluru. off course sometimes they would expect us to pay 200-300
 
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I've been reading about this, and found out some reports that PV does not happen if renewal is done before expiration of existing passport. Was that true in your case?
Not exactly. my passport expired in the yr 2018 and I renewed it in late 2022. Not just me but also my uncle, aunt and cousins and for none of them police ver. was asked for nor was scheduled!
This was for Mumbai and Pune locations.
My passport expired in 2020. So can I apply now for renewal? There is no expiry for renewal right? Just asking.
Ya no expiry but the advantage is that your work gets done within mins at the passport office. No detailed verification checks etc.