The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 24 January, 2020 released a press note about starting a service for sending reminders for the expiration of passports. The Ministry will begin sending two SMS reminders on the registered mobile numbers of users, 9 and 7 months before the expiration of their passports.

Raj Kumar Bali, Regional Passport Officer, Jalandhar, said, “Many passport holders forget to renew their passport on time. Since a person could not travel abroad unless his or her passport has a minimum validity of six months, people often miss the opportunity to travel abroad.”

The messages will also have the link on which passport holders can submit their application online. The ministry said that it will help in “avoiding applicant falling prey to the fake websites in the cyberspace”.

One of the conditions of visa applications for a  majority of countries is a minimum six months' validity period on their passports. As a result of this and in order to prevent last minute panic among people, the Ministryhas decided to start this service.

[Read Press Note]

Author: Nandini Gandhi