Visakhapatnam: Passport Seva Kendras to work on Saturdays at select centres

Visakhapatnam: With a view to cater to a huge demand for issuance of passports as well as to reduce the resultant long appointment cycles, the Ministry of External Affairs has taken a decision to work on Saturdays as well ,starting from April 29.

The development will come into effect in four Passport Seva Kendras (PSK), including Visakhapatnam, Bhimavaram, Vijayawada and Tirupati. It will continue until the present demand is satisfactorily met and the appointment cycles subsequently come down.

Under this special drive, around 2,200 slots will be released on each Saturday at these PSKs across Andhra Pradesh.

The slots for this special drive will be available from Wednesday morning. Applicants requiring passports under fresh and reissue categories and those whose appointment dates are longer and need rescheduling to a nearer date are advised to utilise the opportunity.

Also, taking into consideration the long appointment cycles at Vijayawada and Tirupati, it has been decided to increase appointments on normal working days at the PSKs. Henceforth, additional 50 slots at PSK Vijayawada and 100 slots at PSK Tirupati will be released from Monday to Friday, the statement released from the passport office mentioned.

Passport applicants are advised to take note of the update. Those applying under the tatkal category are advised to ensure that they carry documents required as per the tatkal category as indicated in the Passport Seva Project portal in order to avoid rescheduling.