India's Passport Seva Portal is facing a nationwide technical outage, severely impacting passport services across the country. Beginning on Thursday, the disruption has led to widespread cancellations of appointments at Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs), with users reporting that both the website and the mobile app have become non-functional. The issue remains unresolved as of Friday evening, leaving thousands of applicants in limbo.
According to user posts on X , those who had scheduled appointments received late-night cancellation messages, while many others were not informed at all. Applicants from cities like Delhi, Bhopal, Thane, and Bengaluru arrived at PSKs only to find closed gates and no staff present. Notices pasted outside Seva Kendras cited "technical issues," with no SMS, email, or phone call notifications issued by the Passport Seva authorities.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has yet to release an official statement regarding the ongoing outage. However, during a recent Parliament session, the ministry mentioned ongoing migration from Passport Seva Programme V1.0 to PSP V2.0 as a potential reason for performance-related disruptions. This migration, which began in April 2024, is intended to upgrade the user experience using advanced digital infrastructure, though the transition appears to be affecting real-time service delivery.
For many users, the outage couldn’t have come at a worse time. Students planning to travel abroad, professionals awaiting visas, and families with international commitments are now stuck without clear communication or alternate booking options. In several reported cases, users were asked to reschedule appointments late at night or were unable to access the booking platform altogether.
This is not the first time the portal has faced such a glitch. A similar technical crash in April 2025 caused a two-day halt to passport processing nationwide. While the MEA is working toward a more robust, AI-enabled service system through PSP V2.0, the recurring outages are raising questions about digital preparedness and crisis communication by government departments. Until the issues are officially resolved and services resume, applicants are advised to keep checking official MEA channels and refrain from visiting PSKs without confirmation.
