Passport Seva Portal Faces Outage: Delays and Cancellations Leave Applicants Frustrated

Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) nationwide were crippled on Thursday due to a significant technical issue affecting the Passport Seva Portal. Applicants experienced considerable disruptions, with many discovering the system failures upon arrival at their scheduled appointments. The outage continued through Friday, leaving numerous individuals stranded, especially those with time-sensitive travel needs. Social media users expressed their discontent, highlighting the lack of official updates and the challenges in rescheduling appointments quickly. Screenshots of late-night cancellation messages were widely shared, alongside reports of locked facilities and a lack of on-site support. The disruptions particularly impacted families and business travelers, with potential impacts on upcoming travel plans and visa processing. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Passport Seva representatives maintained silence during the outage, adding to the stress of individuals already dealing with missed appointments and uncertain schedules. This incident follows a previous outage in April, which similarly caused appointment backlogs and caused travel anxieties for many applicants.