Police Verification for Indian Passport

What Happens During Passport Police Verification?

Issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, any Indian can apply for a passport if they wish to travel abroad. The Indian passport application procedure involves multiple steps- form filling, document submission, biometric verification and police verification. The police verification is the final step before your passport is issued and dispatched to you at the given address.

All passport applicants are required to submit an online form for police verification. You can do so by logging into the passport seva online portal and clicking the ‘Apply for Police Clearance Certificate’ link.

Once the PVR fees have been paid, print out the receipt. You can carry this receipt along with the other documents required for the Indian passport procedure once an appointment has been scheduled.

Passport police verification entails identity and address verification by the local police. Usually, a designated officer from your local police station carries out this verification by visiting your permanent address. In some cases, you may also need to provide the necessary documents for clarity. The police are the decision-makers here and will share a report once they visit your residence.

Once the police officer visits your home, they verify relevant details and issue a police verification report (PVR) from their respective police station. The file status can include either of the following:

• Incomplete: Indicates that you didn’t provide relevant documents or have provided an incomplete passport application.
• Adverse: Indicates that your verification was not complete due to a mismatch or wrong information. This can also be issued if you have a pending criminal case.
• Clear: Indicates that your passport application is successful.

You can easily find the local police station of your area through the official passport seva portal website. After the police provide a clearance report, your passport will be issued within 3 days once the passport office has received the recommendary police verification report.

Modes of Police Verification for Indian Passport Issuance

There are two modes of Police verification report (PVR) for Indian passports:

• Post-Passport Issuance Basis: The police verification happens as per the applicant’s address jurisdiction. The passport is issued accordingly.
• Pre-Passport Issuance Basis: The police verification is carried out after the passport is issued. For example, if a person has applied for tatkaal passport in India or other special circumstances like government employees with NOC under Annexure G.

In case of passport renewal within the stipulated time period, no police verification is necessary. However, a fresh PVR will be required if your passport has expired.

How is Indian Passport Police Verification Done?

Indian passport generally requires a clear PVR (police verification report) before issuing the passport. In such cases, applicants can initiate the online passport police verification by following these steps:

• Step 1: Go to the official passport seva portal on your device
• Step 2: Login to the portal with your existing credentials used for passport application
• Step 3: Now, click on the ‘ Apply for a Police Clearance Certificate’ option
• Step 4: Fill in the required details, then submit your form
• Step 5: Now pay and schedule an appointment on the ‘View Submitted Application’ option
• Step 6: You can print the application receipt for the PVR fee payment, or else you can also show an SMS later during your PSK visit
• Step 7: Upon your visit to the Passport Seva Kendra, carry the receipt along with other documents.

Once all the documents have been submitted, the authorities will begin your pre-police verification on your behalf. Your PSK will send your identity and address proof to the designated police station. A police officer from your jurisdiction will be assigned who is responsible for visiting your home address, as mentioned in your documents. You must ensure that you are at home at this time, especially if you live or work in another city.

After the police officer has visited your home, met you, and cross-checked relevant documents, you can sign the required documents for your passport police verification.

Upon verification and approval, the police officer will provide a verified report to the passport office. It will take around 3 to 5 working days to dispatch your passport. You can easily track the status of the passport using the tracking code provided to you.

How to Find the Nearest Police Station for Police Verification Report (PVR)?

You can easily find the nearest police station for passport verification by following these steps:

• Visit the official passport seva portal website
• Under the ‘Before You Apply’ section, you will find the link for ‘Know your Police Station’. Click on the link provided.
• Now, all you need to do is to provide the state and police district applicable as per your address. Once filled in, click on ‘Go’
• A list of police stations, along with their police district, will be displayed in alphabetical order. Find the police station closest to your residence.

In case you’re unable to locate the nearest police station, you can seek help from Google Maps or reach out to the local police station in your area. You can also

Why is Passport Police Verification Needed?

A thorough PVR (police verification report) is important to ensure a person’s identity. The police double-check your identity proof, address and if there have ever been any criminal records. Many of us may also remember the extensive check the police carried out around 10-15 years ago, which included meeting the neighbours to get their references. However, getting references and signatures from two neighbours have been removed, and now the police have verified that the person has a clean criminal record and is not a threat to national security.

Police verification can prevent many masterminds and criminals from misusing the passport, such as human trafficking, terrorism, identity theft and more. This is an essential step in ensuring our country’s safety as well as a way of ensuring that no wrong person is permitted to evade or escape from justice.

Track Police Verification Status for Indian Passport

The mPassport Seva and the Passport Seva Portal website provide the facility for tracking multiple things. Related to the police verification, you can easily track the following using the Passport Seva Portal:

• Status of police verification
• Status of police verification report submission

Once the designated police officer has submitted a PVR, your passport will be approved and dispatched within 3-5 working days. You can also track passport status through the same method.