Citizens will now be able to collect their ready passports from the respective passport offices on Saturdays as well. The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports has announced to open passport delivery counters across the country on Saturdays.
According to the department, this facility will be available on a weekly basis for the next two months. During this time, the delivery counters will work from 8 am to 4 pm.
The aim of the new arrangement is to provide additional opportunity to those citizens who are unable to visit the respective office during normal office hours to collect their passports. However, the basic facility on Saturdays will be limited to collecting ready passports.
The Passport Department has directed the citizens to collect their passports on time after they are ready. According to officials, failure to receive a passport for a long time can lead to difficulties in obtaining the document later.
The department has also clarified that passports that remain pending for collection at the relevant office for more than six months can be destroyed as per the government policy.
As per the government procedure, the process of passport preparation, delivery and collection is separate from the application processing. According to the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports, 21 working days are fixed for preparation of a regular passport, five working days for urgent and two working days for fast track.
The passport department provides information about the status of passports to citizens through SMS and other means. According to the official website, applicants can get information about the delivery of passports and its current status.
The decision to open weekly counters comes at a time when the passport department is also expanding the delivery facility for citizens. The home delivery service for passports was launched in July, with the aim of saving citizens from unnecessary visits to offices.
Under the new facility, citizens will now have an additional day of the week to get their passports ready, in addition to the usual days. The authorities have urged citizens to receive their passports within the stipulated time so that they do not face any administrative hassle later.
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