The project will facilitate delivery of passport related services in a citizen friendly manner. It will provide easy access to information about passport-related forms and procedures. It will put in place systems and facilities designed to handle all kinds of enquiries, provide all passport related information, distribute application forms, accept duly filled-in forms, complete all application submission processes, verify applications and grant passport in the presence of the applicant, and finally have the passport dispatched to the applicant normally in three days.

The Passport Seva Project will offer multiple options for submission of application forms such as online portal, PFC and other existing channels. Citizens need to go to the nearest PFC, only once under normal circumstances, to complete application formalities like form submission, fee payment, photograph & fingerprint capture, and verification of documents. The highlight of the project is the adoption of a service-oriented approach, with public and private investments translating into concrete benefits to stakeholders in general and to the citizens of India in particular.

The demand for passports and passport-related services in the country has increased manifold over the last few years. Attributable largely to the robust Indian economy amidst spreading globalization, the trend of rising demand is likely to continue in the years ahead if one goes by the fact that 45 lakh passports were issued in 2006, registering 19% growth over the previous year.

However, the existing system of issuing passports has certain deficiencies, resulting in intractable problems like long queues, inconvenience to applicants who may not have complete knowledge of the rules and procedures, and delay in delivery of passports. There is a pressing need to modernize the passport issuance system by making it transparent, trouble-free and citizen-friendly.
The MEA engaged the National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) for studying India's existing system of passport issuance against the backdrop of global best practices and for making recommendations to establish a redesigned system that can meet varying expectations and help realize larger objectives.

1. Establish a secure & error-free Passport issuance system that compares with the best in the world
2. Issue passports (fresh, re-issue, duplicate) in 3 working days
3. Issue passports under Tatkaal scheme on the same day
4. Provide miscellaneous passport services on the date of application itself
5. Render the above services through simplified procedures and in conditions of comfort for the passport-seeking public
6. Provide a portfolio of ONLINE services to the citizens
7. Provide ALL services to the stakeholders, conforming to a set of SLAs

• Citizens
• Employees of MEA
• MEA
• Businesses
• Police Department of States (verification of applicants' antecedents)
• District Passport Cells (under DM's or SP's office) - form sale, application receipt, initiating police verification
• Dept. of Post & Telegraph - form sale, application receipt, passport delivery
• Protector of Emigrant Offices- giving Emigration Clearance to ECR passport holders
• Immigration check-posts at ports of exit - checking passport status of travelers

As part of its engagement, NISG identified and studied six core process groups in the passport issuance cycle. They are:-
Front-end:

1. Sale of application forms with information booklet.
2. Submission of application forms. This includes filling the form, attaching supporting documents, paying fees, and, in the case of online applicants, obtaining appointment for visiting a PFC.
3. Scrutiny of application and capturing personal & documentary details. This includes examining the contents of the application form; capturing photograph, biometric feature(s) and signature of the applicant, and scanning supporting documents.
4. Verifying the authenticity of the application/applicant. This covers checking the supporting documents against their originals, indexing (checking against the current list of passport holders), checking against Prior Approval Category list, and field verification by the police.
5. Granting the passport.

1. Production. This includes printing and laminating the passport.
2. Dispatch.

1. Need for Government ownership of the Data Center, Passport application software, and the Passport database;
2. Need to derive the expertise of the private sector in delivering customer-centric services
3. Issues relating to efficiency, and change management
4. Continuity of passport-related operations in perpetuity

Following the study, NISG made the following key recommendations that will be the building blocks of the Passport Seva Project:

• A set of PFCs for delivering all front-end citizen services.
• Existing passport offices to function as PBOs for back-end processing.
• Passport portal for offering passport services online.
• Links with designated points in the police department.
• A Central Passport Printing Facility for handling extra load of PBOs.
• Dispatch process outsourced to the postal department.
• A multi-modal information and grievance handling system that will include a Call Center accessible to citizens through a toll-free all-India telephone number
• A centralized ICT-driven platform that links PFCs, PBOs, Police and Postal Departments.

There are going to be 77 PFCs spread over different locations all over India. As a Pilot, one PFC will be set up each in Chandigarh and Bangalore. After successful test run of these two PFCs, the implementation will be rolled out across all the remaining locations.