INDIA Passport Seva Portal Crashes

The critical glitch has completely halted operations at passport centers across the country, forcing last-minute appointment cancellations

New Delhi, June 20, 2025 – India's Passport Seva Portal has been paralyzed by a major technical outage since Thursday, causing nationwide disruption at Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and leaving thousands of applicants stranded without official communication for two consecutive days.

System Collapse Creates Chaos

The critical glitch has completely halted operations at passport centers across the country, forcing last-minute appointment cancellations and turning away applicants who arrived for scheduled appointments. Many discovered the breakdown only upon reaching PSK gates, finding locked facilities and absent staff.

"The appointment for my children was cancelled at midnight – the second time in two months," posted Mehul Kothari on social media platform X. Others shared images of printed notices taped to closed PSK doors, noting authorities failed to send SMS, email, or phone alerts about the disruption.

Travel Plans in Jeopardy

The outage has particularly impacted urgent travelers:

· Families facing cancelled vacations, like Rahul Sharma who fears delayed passport processing could derail his family's US trip and subsequent visa applications

· Business travelers unable to reschedule appointments for weeks, with next available slots reportedly months away

· Applicants from Delhi, Bhopal, Thane, and Ghaziabad documenting chaotic scenes at shuttered centers

Official Silence Fuels Frustration

Despite the nationwide scale of the crisis, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Passport Seva authorities remained silent through Thursday and much of Friday. This lack of communication has exacerbated public anger, with social media flooded by complaints about:

· The impossibility of short-term rescheduling

· No official timelines for restoration

· Zero on-ground assistance at PSKs

· Midnight cancellation notices without alternatives

Recurring System Failures

This marks at least the second major collapse in 2025, following a similar two-day outage in April that created massive appointment backlogs. The repeating failures raise serious questions about the system's reliability, especially given:

· The portal's critical role in India's passport issuance infrastructure

· Increasing passport application volumes

Absence of public contingency plans

As of Friday evening, there is no official update on restoration timelines or compensation for affected applicants. The MEA has yet to issue any formal statement addressing the crisis.