In order to make passport renewal hassle-free of people, the Ministry of External Affairs [MEA] has commenced sending SMS to passport holders before expiry of their passport. Two SMS are being sent to the concerned passport holders
– one before nine months and another before seven months of the date of expiry of their passport.
If your passport is nearing expiry, you will get text reminders for passport renewal. Your Passport Seva Kendra or office will send you two reminders by SMS. This has been initiated by the Ministry as a citizen-friendly proactive service delivery measures to the valid passport holders.
As part of the SMS, citizens are also informed about the authentic website of the Ministry www.passportindia.gov.in for online submission of application related to passport services. This also helps in avoiding the applicant falling prey to the fake websites in the cyberspace.
The sample SMS message being sent to citizens – “Dear Passport Holder, Your Passport KXXXX949 will expire on XX-Feb-20. Apply reissue at www.passportindia.gov.in or mPassport Seva App. Please ignore, if applied”.
It is a good initiative as most countries allow people to travel with passports with a minimum validity of six months and travellers often realise that their passport is about to expire at the last minute. While an ordinary passport for adults is valid for 10 years from the date of issue and can be renewed for another 10 years, the validity of a minor’s passport is restricted to five years or till they attain the age of 18, whichever is earlier.
