A passport is a crucial document that is used by travellers to go abroad for education, tourism, and work-related purposes. If you are applying for a passport in India, then you need to wait for the passport processing time.
However, most of the people have one question. How long is the passport processing time? The processing time for a passport application varies by passport type.
There are various stages in the passport processing timeline, which we will see in this blog. Through this blog, you will learn that passport processing is based on document verification, applicant category, and urgent passport requirements.
We will see the actual passport timeline for all types of passports in India, and provide you with the information to plan your application more smoothly.
Given below are the passport processing times for all types of passport applications that an individual applies for.
| Passport Type | Processing Time |
|---|---|
| Ordinary Passport | 30-35 days |
| Official Passport | 7-21 days |
| Diplomatic Passport | 5-10 days |
| E-Passport | 30-45 days |
| Tatkaal Passport | 1-7 days |
| ECR Passport | 30-45 days |
Your passport application can be affected due to the factors given below, resulting in a delay in the passport application.
The ordinary passport (blue) is the most common type of passport, which is issued to Indian citizens. This is issued for various purposes such as tourism, work, or business.
Here are the ordinary passport (blue) timelines given in the table below.
| Passport Stage | Processing Timeline |
|---|---|
| Appointment booking | 3-15 days |
| Biometric submission and visit at PSK | 1 day |
| Police Verification | 5-20 days |
| Dispatch and printing of passport | 5-10 days |
| Total processing time for an ordinary passport | 30-45 days |
The processing time may depend on the police verification. However, most of the delay in passport application are occurred from rural areas.
The official passport is issued only to government employees who represent the Indian government for any official or legal work.
See the table given below for the official passport (white) timeline.
| Passport Stage | Processing Time |
|---|---|
| Processing of Application | 2-5 days |
| Verification of Documents | 3-10 days |
| Dispatch and Printing of Passport | 3-5 days |
| Total processing time for an official passport | 7-21 days |
The official passport is processed quickly because of the applicant's identity certificate (Annexure B), which makes the verification process easy and reduces the work for the police.
This passport is issued to the higher-ranking officials, diplomats, and individuals who represent the Indian government on a global level for any meeting or conference. This passport is maroon in colour.
See the table given below for the Diplomatic passport (Maroon) Timeline
| Passport Stage | Processing Time |
|---|---|
| Authorities Approval | 2-4 days |
| Processing and Passport Printing | 2-3 days |
| Dispatch | 1-3 days |
| Total processing time for Diplomatic Passport | 5-10 days |
This is the passport has the fastest processing time in India because of direct clearance from the Indian government authorities without the need for any verification by the police.
The ECR passport is issued only to the person who is travelling to foreign countries for work or employment. This passport is orange in colour.
Below are the Emigration Check Required (ECR) passport (Orange) processing timelines.
| Passport Stage | Processing Time |
|---|---|
| Appointment Booking | 3-15 days |
| PSK Visit | 1 day |
| Verification by Police | 7-25 days |
| Passport Printing & dispatch | 5-10 days |
| Total processing time for the ECR passport | 30-45 days |
The processing time for the ECR passport is similar, but it has a strict background verification, which can extend the processing time.
The new e-passport has an electronic chip which stores the biometric and information of the applicant.
The E-passport timeline is given in the table below:
| Processing Stage | Processing Time |
|---|---|
| Passport application and appointment | 3-15 days |
| Biometric submission at PSK | 1 day |
| Verification of Police | 5-20 days |
| Printing and passport chip encoding | 5-10 days |
| Total processing time for the e-passport | 30-45 days |
However, the processing time for an e-passport with advanced technology is the same as the ordinary passport.
For the applicants who require a passport urgently, apply for the Tatkaal scheme. The processing time for the Tatkaal passport is faster than that of other passport types.
| Passport Stage | Passport Time |
|---|---|
| Passport appointment schedule | 1-3 days |
| Visit the appointment centre | 1 day |
| Quick Processing Time | 1-3 days |
| Dispatchment of Passport | 1-2 days |
| Total Processing time of the passport | 1-7 days |
The processing time for the Tatkaal passport application also depends on the documents and information that are provided by the applicant. If everything is correct, then you will get your passport within 1-7 working days.
The police verification is done after the issuance of the passport.
Knowing passport timelines is essential for planning your travel, business or work journey to a foreign country. The normal passport processing time for most applications is about 30-45 days, whereas a Tatkaal option can help you to get your passport within 1-7 days.
For help related to your passport application, you can contact the Visament website, which provides you with a simple and easy application process, handling all your documents. We provide you a hassle-free process with our experienced and highly qualified agents for your passport application.
If you have any queries, doubts, or issues, then you can freely contact our website and get all your answers from our experts, who are active 24/7 to help you.
The normal processing time to get an Indian passport is generally about 30-45 days. However, if you require a passport urgently, then you can get a passport under the Tatkaal scheme within 1-7 working days.
The fastest way to get a passport is by applying under the Tatkaal scheme. Through this, you can get your passport within 1-7 working days, if all your documents are correct.
Yes, the police verification is the biggest factor which delays the passport processing time. It can take time, around 5-20 working days, which depends on the location and background check of the applicant.
No, an e-passport has the same processing time as an ordinary passport, which is about 30-45 days.
The processing time for a passport renewal is around 7-10 days without police verification, and with police verification, you need to wait for about 15-30 days. However, the application process also depends on the number of applications received by the authority and your information and documents.
Once you have given all your documents and biometrics at the Passport Seva Kendra, your Tatkaal passport application will be processed within 1-7 working days and delivered to your registered address.
The processing time for the passport application for a minor is around 7-21 days. However, the time also depends on various factors like the number of applications received by the authorities, and the information and documents attached with the passport application.
Your passport application is taking longer than expected due to the following reasons: pending police verification, submitting incorrect or mismatched information, not being present at your registered address for police verification, and the high number of applications received by the authorities.
Yes, you track your passport application online by going to the Passport Seva website and entering your application reference number, and get your real-time status.
Yes, you can easily speed up your passport processing by applying through the Tatkaal application and submitting all the correct documents. Additionally, make sure you are present at the time of police verification for your passport at your given address.
Vipul Jain is the Co-Founder of Visament, a trusted platform dedicated to simplifying Indian immigration, consular, and NRI services for applicants across the globe. With extensive expertise in OCI cards, Indian passport services, visa assistance, apostille and document legalization,... See Full Bio
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