Renewal of Passport
* I reserved an appointment online to submit the application and was able to complete the submission process in about 35 mins. It took more than 3 hours of waiting in large queues ten years ago. Appointment through the web was unheard of.
* You can view the status of your application on the web, phone or even via SMS
* New passports are expected in 40 days, a huge improvement from the 3 to 5 month wait earlier
* Documentation has been simplified but there is still room for improvement
* Amenities (waiting halls, seating, hygiene, audio systems etc) for users at the office require improvement, has not changed much in the last ten years though it looks a little more organised. A new passport office is being built in Koramangala and this might make it better for users.
Look forward to the police verification and issue of the new passport soon.