Hyderabad:The Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Hyderabad has improved appointment cycles at its five Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs), reducing wait times from nearly 22 working days in 2023 to an average of six to eight working days in 2024.
Tatkal appointments are now available within one to five working days, while PSKs in Nizamabad and Karimnagar offer appointments the next working day.
Regional Passport Officer, Hyderabad, J. Snehaja on Friday announced that RPO Hyderabad, which operates five PSKs and 14 post office PSKs, was processing an average of 4,200 applications daily. It has handled approximately 9.2 lakh applications in 2024, including passport issuance, police clearance certificates and other related services.
At POPSKs, normal appointments are now available within a week, making services. Snehaja stated that RPO aims to further reduce appointment cycles to within five working days across all centers.
Tatkal passports are delivered within one to three working days, while normal passports are issued within five to seven working days, excluding police verification. Snehaja noted that Telangana police has one of the fastest verification processes, contributing to these achievements and Support from the department of posts also played a key role.
The RPO for grievance redressal mechanisms, responded to over 10,000 emails and resolved issues within 1 to 3 working days. Most addressed redressal were about the required documents and pending of the police reports. It has also introduced a WhatsApp helpline alongside existing channels such as emails, RTI, Twitter and CPGRAMS.
In 2024, over 30,000 inquiry applicants utilised the walk-in facility available on Thursdays, with an average of 700 to 800 applicants availing the service weekly.

To ensure uninterrupted services during reconstruction works at the Kamareddy POPSK, a mobile passport van has been deployed. The RPO also collaborated with the Telangana State Haj Committee to process applications for Haj pilgrimage.
Lok Adalats are organised on Saturdays to clear pending files and to reduce backlogs. As part of the celebrations marking 75 years of the Indian Constitution, the RPO launched a special envelope for passport dispatches as a tribute to the Constitution’s significance.
Snehaja also said the Secretariat branch in Hyderabad, which provides services for both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for apostille and attestation of documents for legal purposes. With a 25 per cent increase in processing, the Secretariat cleared 1,400 apostille cases and is targeting further growth.
