How to Apply or Renew your Passport?

Getting a passport from the Trivandrum Passport office is no longer the trouble it used to be – you no longer need to stand in queue from dawn or deal with the various haggling brokers. Thanks to our MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor, who brought in a new Passport Officer, and allowed only online applications to be received at this office to cut down the influence of the brokers.

We are dealing with the Government, renewal of passport is officially called ‘re-issue’. Always keep this in mind.

Renewal (ok, re-issue) can be done 1 year before the expiry of passport or 3 years after. Beyond 3 years, police verification will be done, even if there is no address change. Police verification is always done if there is any address change.

Some documents are required. Check it here. Take 2 copies of all documents.

If you need to add the name of your spouse, there is a special clause – if the husband wants to add the name of his wife, no marriage certificate is needed if the wife’s passport has husband’s name. However, if the wife wants to add her husband’s name, marriage certificate is always needed. Confused? Ok, get the marriage certificate also! (remember 2 copies)

Go to the official site – https://passport.gov.in/pms/Information.jsp

Click on Submit to get to the online application form

Fill in your details and click Save

You will be allotted a slot with date and time – usually in the next 3-4 days

The date is important, the time is not. Everyone gets in the queue irrespective of the time allotted. However, since the number of applicants per day is limited, you won’t probably have to wait for more than one hour in the queue, even if you arrive by 1130.

On your D-Day, arrive at the passport office (opposite Karalkada – locate here) with all your documents in original and 2 copies. Bring in your old passport for renewal. There is hardly any parking space for cars, so avoid coming by it.

Go to Anu Photostat Store opposite the office. If applying for a new passport, ask for a yellow file; if you are renewing, ask for a brown cover. Get a couple of file tags (the one used to tie files in government offices)
Stand in queue at the passport office and wait till you get in the office

There are counters where authorized ex-service men will help you taking only Rs.10 as service charge. ALWAYS, take their help to arrange everything in order. If they ask you to take photostats, go out and get it – this time, there is no need to stand in queue

Once they arrange everything, get your token number from the Information Counter

Sit and wait. Remember, there are four counters for general applications and tokens are announced in multiples of 10, say from …120-129, 130-139 etc.

All counters close for lunch from 1PM-2PM. So, no new tokens will be called from around 1245 PM. Once the office close for lunch break, you are not allowed to wait inside the hall during this break.

Come back after lunch. If your token number is beyond 300, you can safely come back after 3PM.
You may have to meet the officer for Tatkals and new passports. For renewal, this is not needed; and you are handed back your old (now canceled) passport

That’s all – your passport will reach your home within the next 30 to 45 days