MEA simplifies passport application process Police verification of address not to be taken into consideration

https://m.timesofindia.com/city/pune/mea-simplifies-passport-application-process/amp_articleshow/64485464.cms

The process of applying for a passport 

 just got a lot easier.

The ministry of external affairs has removed a clause that requires those applying for a passport to mention previous places of residence if s/he has stayed at the current address for less than a year.

Pune’s regional passport officer Anant Takwale said this move would streamline the police verification process. “For many reasons, like unavailability of documents, people would not mention their previous place of residence. Such applications would then be rejected during police verification. In case of a re-application, the applicant had to pay a fine of Rs5,000. We would get at least 20 such cases everyday. In this new format, people will save money and the verification process will get simpler,” he explained.

According to an 

MEA

 notification, changes have also been made to the police verification questionnaire. “It may be noted from the PVQ that the police verification report would be confined only to the criminality verification of the applicant,” the notification stated. Takwale said that the questionnaire would only check for citizenship and any possible criminal background of the applicant