Verification Certificate Not Required for Tatkal Passports Now

Getting a Tatkal or instant passport has been made simpler by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), making the process easier for those who require it urgently. The recommendation or a verification certificate of a Class 1 or gazetted officer is no longer required for people who apply for a passport under the Tatkal or instant category.

The new rules, which came into effect on Jan. 25, stipulate that the verification certificate recommending that the passport be issued under the Tatkal category is not required. “Henceforth, there won’t be any need of a Class 1 officer’s verification for Tatkal passports,” said JD Vaishampayan, IES regional passport officer from Pune, the Hindustan Times reported.

“We have taken this step to let the people know that the Government of India trusts its people completely. This is one of the steps in the direction of MEA’s consistent efforts towards formulating a pro-people policy,” said Dnyaneshwar Mulay, secretary, Ministry of External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs, HT reported.

This will ease the process for many Indians who did not have access to Class 1 officers and needed a passport for urgent travel.

Mulay added that once the applicant presents all the necessary documents that are valid and required for a Tatkal passport, there is no need for anyone to verify it.

“With this new norm in effect, the documents an applicant would need for applying in the tatkal category are an Aadhaar card, Pan card and election card,” he added.

The list of documents required for a Tatkal passport for an adult who is in the non-ECR category are proof of address like water bill, telephone bill, electricity bill, income tax assessment order, voter ID card, Aadhaar card, or rent agreement, among others. “Furnishing of Aadhaar card will expedite processing of passport applications. Aadhaar letter or card or the e-Aadhaar (an electronically generated letter from the website of UIDAI), as the case may be, will be accepted as proof of address (POA) and proof of photo-identity (POI) for availing passport related services,” the Passport Seva said in a statement.

A Tatkal passport that requires police verification on post-passport issuance basis is dispatched on the third working day, excluding the date of submission of application, without waiting for the police verification report. Passports that are not under the Tatkal category require about a month or more to be dispatched.

For those who do not require police verification, the expected time of dispatch of the Tatkal passport is one day, excluding the date of submission of application.