Nationwide Passport Server Crash Disrupts Services; Thousands Affected in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi

Pune — Passport services across several major Indian cities, including Mumbai, Pune, and Delhi, remained paralyzed for a second straight day on Wednesday due to a severe technical glitch, leaving thousands of applicants stranded and frustrated.

Citizens who had booked appointments months in advance faced long queues, lack of communication, and mass cancellations. At Pune’s Ghorpadi Passport Seva Kendra (PSK), services were completely halted. Nilesh Jadhav, with an urgent overseas assignment, arrived well before his 3:30 PM slot, only to receive no official update. “No SMS, no email. I waited since 12:30 PM, and finally a staffer told me to reschedule or go to Solapur. That’s not practical when you’re rushing for international travel,” he said.

Also Read: At 74, ‘Aapli Aaji’ Becomes YouTube Sensation, Earns Lakhs with Traditional Recipes

The Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Mumbai acknowledged the issue on social media:
“Appointments at all PSKs/POPSKs under RPO Mumbai are suspended till 1 PM today due to server issues. Affected applicants may reschedule to a later date.”
The office later assured that applicants who had exhausted their three rescheduling attempts would be allowed one more.

@HMOIndia @MEAIndia @passportsevamea Absolutely ridiculous at PSK Jhandewalan! No notice abt servers down, 0 communication, utter chaos. It’s 1pm & they’re still processing 9-10am slots. Y R citizens left stranded & clueless? Unacceptable! Fix this NOW! #PassportSeva #PSKIssues pic.twitter.com/YvwXi8YSPO

— Rahul Yadav (@rahul_in_u) April 8, 2025

Parents of minors and applicants under the Tatkal scheme were among the hardest hit. Rahul Singhvi, a parent, posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“My child missed school for a passport appointment, only to find it cancelled at the last minute. A heads-up would’ve helped.”

Another applicant in Pune, whose Tatkal renewal appointment was cancelled without detailed explanation, said the earliest available slot was a month away — May 13.

In Delhi, chaos erupted at the Jhandewalan PSK. One user wrote:
“No communication, no notice. It’s 1 PM and they’re still handling 9–10 AM slots. People are clueless and stranded. Unacceptable! #PassportSeva #PSKIssues”

Reema Dsouza, traveling from Pune to Solapur with her children after her Tatkal slot was abruptly voided, said she found no Tatkal availability for the rest of April. “We got the cancellation around midnight, with no backup plan. We’re just stuck.”

Karan Verma from Pune’s Warje area, who had a reissue appointment on Wednesday afternoon, pointed out the timing couldn’t be worse:
“Friday is Mahavir Jayanti, then the weekend, and Monday is Ambedkar Jayanti. We won’t get clarity until Tuesday. My business trip to Australia is now in doubt.”

Ramesh Patel, who traveled 25 km from Bavdhan for his 2:15 PM slot in Mundhwa, said he waited in 40°C heat for over two hours. “My employer is chasing me to get the passport renewed. I took a leave, stood in this heat, and was told to come back in six weeks.”

Senior citizens faced especially harsh conditions. One elderly applicant said, “There were no chairs, no drinking water. We waited under trees for shade. Finally, they told us to reschedule after May 28. A little notice could’ve saved so much trouble.”

A senior passport official confirmed the nationwide scale of the issue:
“We are actively working to resolve the technical failure. Normal services should resume soon.”