Ahmedabad: In a major citizen-centric reform aimed at simplifying passport services, the Gujarat Police has abolished the requirement for passport applicants to visit police stations for routine verification. The revised procedure, issued by Director General of Police Gyanendra Sinh Malik, an IPS officer of 1993 batch, seeks to make passport verification faster, more transparent and less cumbersome while ensuring that essential security checks continue.
Under the new guidelines, police officers have been instructed not to summon applicants to police stations as part of the passport verification process. Instead, verification will primarily focus on confirming the applicant’s citizenship and checking for any criminal antecedents.
Police to Verify Only Citizenship and Criminal Record
According to the revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the scope of police verification has been significantly streamlined.
Routine verification will now be limited to:
- Confirmation of the applicant’s citizenship.
- Verification of any criminal antecedents.
The DGP has clarified that police officers are not required to conduct a separate physical verification of the applicant’s residential address during the normal verification process.
The move is expected to substantially reduce procedural delays and unnecessary paperwork while maintaining security standards.
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No Need to Visit Police Stations
One of the biggest changes introduced under the new guidelines is that passport applicants will no longer be called to police stations for verification.
Police personnel have also been directed that:
- Applicants need not be met personally.
- Their signatures need not be obtained during verification.
- Routine verification should be completed through official records and prescribed procedures.
This is expected to spare applicants the inconvenience of repeated visits and long waiting hours at police stations.
Home Visits Only in Exceptional Circumstances
The Gujarat Police has clarified that a field visit to an applicant’s residence will be carried out only in exceptional cases.
Such visits will be undertaken only if police officials detect suspicious circumstances or require additional verification.
Importantly, even in such situations, applicants will not be asked to report to the police station, ensuring that the burden of verification remains with the authorities rather than the citizen.
DGP Orders Statewide Implementation
DGP Gyanendrasinh Malik has directed all Police Commissioners, District Superintendents of Police and officers responsible for passport verification to strictly implement the revised norms across Gujarat.
Police headquarters officials said the new guidelines are intended to make passport verification:
- More transparent
- Citizen-friendly
- Efficient
- Faster, while retaining necessary security checks
The Gujarat Police has also appealed to citizens not to follow unofficial procedures or make unnecessary visits to police stations while applying for passport verification.
Passport Fees Revised from July 1
The simplified verification process comes shortly after the Central Government revised passport service charges, which came into effect on July 1, 2026.
Under the revised fee structure:
- A fresh or reissued 36-page ordinary passport now costs ₹2,500, up from ₹1,500.
- Replacement of a lost or damaged 36-page passport costs ₹5,000 under the normal scheme and ₹7,500 under the Tatkal scheme.
- Replacement of a lost or damaged 60-page passport now costs ₹6,000 under the normal process and ₹8,500under Tatkal.
Higher Charges for Minors’ Passport Replacement
The revised fee structure also applies to passports issued to minors.
Parents seeking replacement of a lost or damaged 36-page passport for a child will now have to pay:
- ₹4,250 under the normal process.
- ₹6,750 under the Tatkal scheme.
Passport Validity Unchanged
While passport fees have increased, the validity period remains unchanged.
Adult passports will continue to be issued with a validity of 10 years, while passports issued to minors will remain valid for five years or until the holder attains the age of 18 years, whichever is earlier.
A Step Towards Citizen-Friendly Governance
The latest reforms reflect Gujarat Police’s efforts to modernise public service delivery by reducing procedural hurdles without compromising security. By eliminating routine police station visits and limiting physical verification to exceptional cases, the state aims to make passport verification quicker, more efficient and significantly more convenient for citizens.
