Ahmedabad: The Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Ahmedabad received a total of 7,65,194 applications for passport and related services in 2025, marking a decline from 7,92,762 applications in 2024, officials said, attributing the moderation to stabilising post-pandemic demand.

A major development during the year was the launch of Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Version 2.0 at RPO Ahmedabad on May 19, 2025. The upgraded system introduced several process improvements and enabled the issuance of e-passports for all applicants, significantly enhancing service delivery and security features.

Despite the moderated demand, the RPO maintained high operational efficiency. Three special pendency drives were conducted during the year, and along with routine processing, a total of 7,40,863 applications were disposed of in 2025.

To improve infrastructure and capacity, the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) at Mithakhali was relocated to Bapunagar, offering applicants better facilities and faster processing. In addition, capacities at Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) in Gandhinagar, Junagadh and Jamnagar were expanded by increasing the number of CSE counters.

The office also undertook several citizen outreach and facilitation initiatives. Student Connect programmes were organised at Gujarat University, Ahmedabad University and Shri Narayana College of Commerce to raise awareness about the online passport application process and related services.

Special arrangements were made for walk-in services, with nearly 25,000 applicants attending enquiry and grievance resolution sessions without prior appointments on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Additionally, over 3,000 grievances received through email, social media and other digital platforms were resolved.

To strengthen last-mile service delivery, a Mobile Passport Seva Van was deployed, with mobile camps organised at Ahmedabad Cantonment, Bhuj, Porbandar and Sanand. An awareness campaign was also launched to promote the use of DigiLocker-issued documents in the passport application process, encouraging digital and paperless services.

Officials also shared year-wise figures reflecting long-term trends: approximately 4.32 lakh applications in 2019, 4.26 lakh in 2020, 6.24 lakh in 2021, 6.91 lakh in 2022, 6.83 lakh in 2023, and 7.92 lakh in 2024. DeshGujarat