How to get passport appointment online?

Since 2012, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has changed the process of passport application and reissue. The application for issuance of fresh passport or reissue of expired/expiring passport has been made online. This has been done to streamline the whole process. Also Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been roped in to manage the online application system as well as to manage the data entry process. MEA and TCS have launched many passport kiosks also known as Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) where an Indian citizen can visit to submit his or her passport application. This is certainly a good news for Indian Passport applicants as it removes all middlemen and agents in the process. However, in order to visit the PSK, one has to book an appointment online (unless your are filling up a tatkal application in which case you can simply walk into the nearest PSK without appointment). The number of slots at any given PSK are limited and hence they get filled up really quickly as soon as they are open. Here are some of the tips that will help you get your appointment faster.

1. Make sure you have already created your account on the website http://passportindia.gov.in/
2. Either fill the application online or download the PDF form to be filled offline. Once the offline form is filled, you need to generate the upload file and upload the same from your account at passportindia website.
3. Verify all the details entered in the form and submit the form. Once submission is complete, you will now be able to create an appointment.
4. Click on “View Saves/Submitted Applications” link and the system will list down all the applications that you have created. At most you can create only 3 applications per account.
5. Select the appropriate application and below the application list, click “Manage Appointment” link. The link will only be enabled for forms that have been submitted. Partially filled forms will not have this link enabled.
6. On the next screen, the system will ask you to choose PSK nearest to your location and click on “Create Appointment”.
7. The system will ask you to fill in a CAPTCHA code to verify its a human being and not any automated bot trying to create appointments. The CAPTCHA code is alphanumeric and alphabets are also in capital.
8. Once you enter the CAPTCHA, click on “Show Available Slots”. Most likely you will see the following message displayed “Currently no appointment slots are available for the selected Passport Seva Kendra (PSK). Please try scheduling an appointment from DD/MM/YYYY, 3:00 PM onwards. Total number of appointments booked today : XXX“. The appointment timings for various passport offices are also published on the passport website.
9. Note down the date and time carefully. Also sync your computer/watch/mobile (whichever one you refer to) to the website’s clock. Website’s clock is displayed at top left corner of every page.
10. Visit the website on specified date at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time.
11. Follow steps 4 to 7 and reach the “Show Available Slots” page. Make sure to keep the CAPTCHA code filled in the form. Do not click on the link to see the slots yet. Wait until the time is exactly 3:00 PM (or whatever time was mentioned in the error message). Hit the “Show Available Slots” within seconds of clock hitting 3PM.
12. You will now see many slots open for one or more days. Do not think twice and simply choose a slot immediately. It is advisable to choose afternoon slots as many people don’t prefer it or 3PM to 4PM slots.
13. The system will ask you to enter another CAPTCHA and if the choosen slot is still available, you will receive an appointment confirmation number.

The system may become extremely slow during this period since there is heavy visitor traffic on the website. Make sure to access the website from a broadband or high speed Internet line (if possible, e.g. from office). Do not hit refresh/back buttons on the browser since you will only get one chance before slots get filled. If for some reason, your booking gets stuck on the final page, open another window without disturbing the stuck window and login into your account again and see if you have an appointment ID. Sometimes the system is too slow to respond and may have already booked your slot but unable to show you the appointment confirmation. In such cases opening the account in a new window can help verify if appointment went through.

If you are unsuccessful in your attempt, come back again at the date and time mentioned in the error message.

Do not try to make bookings for multiple accounts as only one account will be logged in from a single browser. If you have multiple bookings to be made, make sure to open them on different browsers (such as Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome etc) or use multiple computers.

Update (June 13, 2013): If media reports in TOI and other leading newspapers are to be believed then Passport authorities are rolling out two important changes in the application process.

1. Now the system will automatically give an appointment from available slots instead of users logging in at a specific time to book an appointment. Users will be allowed to change their appointment twice in an year.
2. Payment of Passport Fees will be made online and must be done along with the appointment in order to confirm the booking.

These changes will be rolled out slowly through the country.

Passport Appointment Booking

Finally I got my passport appointment booking today. Feeling so relaxed and lucky.

Relaxed because now I will not have to struggle everyday at 06:00PM (Bangalore PSK) to try and book an appointment. Lucky because I won the second rat race of my life, the first race happened when I was a sperm and had to be faster than others to be what I am, and today I won the second race...successfully booking the "Online Indian Passport Appointment Booking'!!

Well the reason I decided to write this blog; is just not to celebrate but to share some of the tips and tricks which I strongly believe made me the ONE out of thousands. 

Okay, so let me start with the real stuff.

1. The most important thing you would like to be sure about; is the correct time to login to the portal for your respective PSK. Not all PSK's release their appointment booking at the same time. Know your PSK's timing.

2. Once you know the PSK timings; you need to adjust your system(desktop/laptop/etc.) timings.
Check on the top left hand side of the PSK website, you will find the HH:MM:SS, match your system timing to the closet possible mill-second. It can be little tricky as the PSK clock timing is not continuous, but after you try for two to three times you can crack it.

You may think I am a stupid asking you to do such silly stuff but believe me it will certainly cause a difference. The appointment slots open exactly at 06:00:00 PSK(for Bangalore PSK's) portal time but if your system clock is behind the PSK portal time you will be late in clicking the 'Show Available Slots' button.

3. Ensure you have high speed internet connection but that's not all. I recommend some changes to the Internet Explorer(IE) as well. Yes, use IE only!! No No to Firefox, Chrome etc.(I am not getting campaigning bonus from MS, lol).
I assume the developers of this website from TCS preferred IE over others and that is why at peak traffic only IE works. Yes you heard it correct, IE works...at least somewhere.

4. Now that you are in IE, use the private browsing mode(InPrivate) with all add-ons disabled. Disabling all unnecessary add-ons will help reduce the webpage load time.
If you are using proxy, remove it however you would know best, use proxy or no proxy for your connection settings.
Try avoiding being behind the company/institute firewall as they are configured to scan all incoming and outgoing data which may cause delay. Use your home connection(high speed internet) instead.

Okay we have configured the system and tools as required. Now the following steps for the PSK portal.

5.  Login to the portal at least 10minutes in advance. Starting from the time you are asked to enter the first CAPTCHA(in password screen) make sure you got the CAPS ON. In all the following screens the captcha's will appear in caps letter only. Helps you to save time and avoiding mistake of entering the captcha in small case.

6. Keep doing something in portal page to avoid auto logoff. I prefer going to the webpage which has the drop down for the PSK centers and Show Available Slots button, and then keep entering the captcha and hitting enter button to avoid logging off.
Then at the final minute (XX:59:00) I enter the captcha for the last time and wait for the magical number to appear on the system clock. I told you in Step 2, it was not silly. You know the importance now.

7. So once it's time just click on 'Show Available Slots'. You will be taken to the next page where you will see the available slots; down below in the screen in BLUE color. Do not waste time deciding which one to choose, just pick any of the slots. Here you do not have the privilege to pick and choose; the only thing important is to book the appointment...what time you get it is not that important(remember it's a rat race). One very important thing to note, you will see the captcha box appearing in this screen but do not bother to fill it. In this screen you just have to click on one of the time slots available, that's all.

8. Next screen will be a summary screen, giving details of the time slot you chose, etc. etc. (DO NOT START READING IT until you think you did something wrong). Remember you are not done yet, the appointment is still NOT BOOKED. So, as soon as you are on this screen, enter the captcha(it is required in this screen) and then start clicking on the Book Appointment button(you need to continue clicking the book appointment button multiple times). At times even after you have clicked the Book Appointment the status bar will just get stuck and nothing will happen and when frustrated you click for the second time, the annoying message reading "Appointment slot has been booked ......" will appear. 
Basically your hitting of the book appointment button regular keeps pushing your application number to the server again and again. (I have personally experienced both the situations, mistake of not hitting 'book appointment' regularly and by doing this and celebrating).

9. If all works fine you will see the confirmation in GREEN and if you are unlucky GREY.

10. Hope my experience which I gained from my suffering will help you all getting this completed quickly. Golden rules:
BE PATIENT. It will be long before you finally crack it. It took me 2weeks to be successful.
Remember PRACTICE MAKES A MAN PERFECT. You may(will) not be able to get appointment the very first time. Relax and learn from your mistakes and delays.
Last but not the least, TRY AND TRY TILL YOU SUCCEED!!

Best of Luck people!!

Let me know if my suggestions helped and if you want to add on your experience as well.  

Finally the D-day arrived, after securing my "online passport appointment booking", I am here today in front of the Passport Seva Kendra. I am so excited that I have arrived almost two hours before my reporting time.
(Honestly it is just not excitement, back of my mind I am thinking of those never ending long queue's in front of  Govt. office)

Whatever be the reason, I am here at Lalbagh PSK, Bangalore and surprise surprise....NO QUEUE!! Is the PSK closed today? Are they not entertaining appointments? What's wrong....

Okay, the good news...PSK's is NOT closed. I was impressed by looking at the architecture of the building, it does not have that historian Govt. office look(no betel spit marks on walls, not a rickety old building and no queue...outside the gate at least).

So, now starts the inside story of the PSK:
(P.S. I applied for a fresh, normal passport. Procedures are different for all passport types).


1. Once inside, you get to sit/stand in a waiting area, awaiting your batch number to be called(this number will be mentioned on the appointment booking printout), make sure you know your batch number.
The sequence number is not important, actually it is just a pseudo number.

2.  As I was early to the PSK, I had to wait for almost 1hour 30minutes for my batch number to be called out. But boy oh boy....even Cinderella would not had been so punctual, the clock ticked 02:00PM and they called my batch number. 
Walked with the crowd from the waiting area to a next hall where tokens are to be issued. Time for the first queue....but it is a fast moving queue.

3. Okay, this as per me is the most important halt. If you fail here, oops...all your struggle is gone in vain. You fail to produce correct documents here...you will not be allowed inside. In short this token issue is your passport to getting a passport. 
So, make sure you have all possible documents with you, both original and photocopy. They can ask for anything, there is no set rule. So when they ask, you should have it....otherwise you are asked to leave and guess asked to come next day.
Luckily I had all required documents...hurray I got my token(it is a paper slip, token number written on left side, it should be something like N XXX, where I think 'N' is for new).

 4. After getting the token, second waiting area....but it is swift here. You will see token numbers appearing on LCD's with associated counter number. Pleasantly, there are few floor wardens around as well to guide you. 
To my amazement, with in 2minutes  my token number was displayed and I walked in to the counter.

5. Here verification of the original documents will happen, then the passport form details will be cross checked with you, on spot photograph will be clicked, finger/thumb print scanning, self attestation of documents and fee submission.
You will be handed over a file containing the documents you had produced and required for verification in the next segments. Also, a fee receipt - preserve it safely.

 6. Now go to third waiting area, the wait time is comparatively high here. Once the LCD displays your token, walk to the assigned counter. Third time verification of you, your originals and the information forwarded internally from the previous two teams.
All's good...go back to waiting area and wait for GTO(Granting Officer) verification.

7. Yes, you guessed it correct, the wait time goes up little higher but not that significant....so stare, stare and stare at the LCD again...for your token number to appear.
Finally, my turn. GTO verifies anything that might have slipped out in the earlier sections(you are nervous now) if everything is perfect, ticks on your file and piles it on the ever growing bundle. BUT and a big but....if he/she is not satisfied, you will be sent to the APO(Assistant Passport Officer...I think), for which you need to wait again.
Not sure of what happens at the APO chamber, I was lucky to be through the GTO.

8. Just before you see the EXIT and jump out...do not forget to collect your Acknowledgement Receipt. So, bring out your fee receipt(ah ahhh...i asked you to preserve it safely) and push it through the counter window. You will be handed over an acknowledgement. Scrutinize for any error.

Well that was my trip to the PSK...kind of refreshing experience in a Govt. Office. Well organized and considering the work volume they handle...exceptionally quick.

Hope you too have a good one. 
 
Passport Appointment Booking

Passport Appointment Booking Trick

Booked my appointment in passport seva portal in my second attempt. Please read and follow the following

I assume that the passport application is filled and submitted.

1. Login before 30 minutes of the given time mentioned in the website

2. You can have multiple sessions, i.e you can open 3 tabs in the browser and login with the same id and try for passport appointment booking from all the 3 tabs. If one sessions fails, you can quickly utilize the next one.

3. Go to the appointment page and keep entering the captcha code(alphabets and numbers shown in the picture) repeatedly. This is because, your session needs to be active till the given time. If you are idle, you will not be able to login during the peak traffic time

4. Be clear about the letter ‘I’ and number ’1′ in the captcha code. Somebody else will book your slot if you make mistake in this captcha during the peak traffic time . So, be careful

5.  The passport appointments booking gets released at the exact time mentioned by the government. For Coimbatore slot, it got released by 4pm. Note that, slots gets booked within 1 minutes. You need to careful as well as fast

6. In the booking page, there will be a text box where you need to enter the captcha code and the at the end of the page, there will be a list of appointment time slots that is available. Enter the captcha code first.

7. Sometimes, captcha picture will not load, be patient. Try to use high speed internet connection.

8. There will be a list of slots mentioned like 9.15 – 10, 10.15 – 11 something like this. Target to select the last available slot as most of the people would likely hit first subsequent slots.

9. If you click on the first subsequent slots, you might end up with a message like ‘this slot is already booked’ and you will not be able to relogin again

10. You need to enter the captcha code correctly and click the time slot link at the end of the page

11. The next page will also be a confirmation page where you need to enter the captcha code again. Be fast and correct as far as you can.

How to book passport appointment online?

Since 2012, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has changed the process of passport application and reissue. The application for issuance of fresh passport or reissue of expired/expiring passport has been made online. This has been done to streamline the whole process. Also Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been roped in to manage the online passport appointment booking system as well as to manage the data entry process. MEA and TCS have launched many passport kiosks also known as Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) where an Indian citizen can visit to submit his or her passport application. This is certainly a good news for Indian Passport applicants as it removes all middlemen and agents in the process. However, in order to visit the PSK, one has to book an appointment online (unless your are filling up a tatkal application in which case you can simply walk into the nearest PSK without appointment). The number of slots at any given PSK are limited and hence they get filled up really quickly as soon as they are open. Here are some of the tips that will help you get your appointment faster.

1. Make sure you have already created your account on the website http://passportindia.gov.in/
2. Either fill the application online or download the PDF form to be filled offline. Once the offline form is filled, you need to generate the upload file and upload the same from your account at passportindia website.
3. Verify all the details entered in the form and submit the form. Once submission is complete, you will now be able to create an appointment.
4. Click on “View Saves/Submitted Applications” link and the system will list down all the applications that you have created. At most you can create only 3 applications per account.
5. Select the appropriate application and below the application list, click “Manage Appointment” link. The link will only be enabled for forms that have been submitted. Partially filled forms will not have this link enabled.
6. On the next screen, the system will ask you to choose PSK nearest to your location and click on “Create Appointment”.
7. The system will ask you to fill in a CAPTCHA code to verify its a human being and not any automated bot trying to create appointments. The CAPTCHA code is alphanumeric and alphabets are also in capital.
8. Once you enter the CAPTCHA, click on “Show Available Slots”. Most likely you will see the following message displayed “Currently no appointment slots are available for the selected Passport Seva Kendra (PSK). Please try scheduling an appointment from DD/MM/YYYY, 3:00 PM onwards. Total number of appointments booked today : XXX“. The appointment timings for various passport offices are also published on the passport website.
9. Note down the date and time carefully. Also sync your computer/watch/mobile (whichever one you refer to) to the website’s clock. Website’s clock is displayed at top left corner of every page.
10. Visit the website on specified date at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time.
11. Follow steps 4 to 7 and reach the “Show Available Slots” page. Make sure to keep the CAPTCHA code filled in the form. Do not click on the link to see the slots yet. Wait until the time is exactly 3:00 PM (or whatever time was mentioned in the error message). Hit the “Show Available Slots” within seconds of clock hitting 3PM.
12. You will now see many slots open for one or more days. Do not think twice and simply choose a slot immediately. It is advisable to choose afternoon slots as many people don’t prefer it or 3PM to 4PM slots.
13. The system will ask you to enter another CAPTCHA and if the choosen slot is still available, you will receive an appointment confirmation number.

The system may become extremely slow during this period since there is heavy visitor traffic on the website. Make sure to access the website from a broadband or high speed Internet line (if possible, e.g. from office). Do not hit refresh/back buttons on the browser since you will only get one chance before slots get filled. If for some reason, your booking gets stuck on the final page, open another window without disturbing the stuck window and login into your account again and see if you have an appointment ID. Sometimes the system is too slow to respond and may have already booked your slot but unable to show you the appointment confirmation. In such cases opening the account in a new window can help verify if appointment went through.

If you are unsuccessful in your attempt, come back again at the date and time mentioned in the error message.

Do not try to make bookings for multiple accounts as only one account will be logged in from a single browser. If you have multiple bookings to be made, make sure to open them on different browsers (such as Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome etc) or use multiple computers.

Update (June 13, 2013): If media reports in TOI and other leading newspapers are to be believed then Passport authorities are rolling out two important changes in the application process.

1. Now the system will automatically give an appointment from available slots instead of users logging in at a specific time to book an appointment. Users will be allowed to change their appointment twice in an year.
2. Payment of Passport Fees will be made online and must be done along with the appointment in order to confirm the booking.

These changes will be rolled out slowly through the country.