The Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Pune will host an open-house session on 10 December (15:00–17:00) at Passport Bhavan, Baner, allowing applicants with stalled files to meet senior officers without prior appointments. Pre-registration by e-mail is required, and entry confirmation will be issued on a first-come basis.
The initiative follows a 22 % surge in pending applications after the nationwide e-passport rollout on 28 May 2025, when every new booklet began carrying an embedded RFID chip. Applicants have flagged delays in police verification and address mismatches on the new smart-card operating system.
![Pune Regional Passport Office schedules 10 December open house to clear backlog]()
For expatriates and NRIs living in Maharashtra’s industrial corridor, the open house offers a chance to resolve complex cases such as change-of-appearance endorsements or renewal of short-validity passports issued abroad. HR teams relocating employees to Europe should note that Schengen consulates in Mumbai now require e-passports for long-term D-visas; clearing the backlog quickly is critical to hit January intake dates.
RPO officials say similar sessions could rotate to Nashik and Kolhapur in Q1 2026 if the model succeeds. Companies should advise travellers to carry physical file copies, Aadhaar and any mismatch-rectification letters to maximise the 15-minute consultation.
The open-house concept aligns with the Passport Seva 2.0 service-level agreement that mandates grievance resolution within 15 working days—a welcome boost as outbound mobility rebounds to pre-Covid volumes.
The initiative follows a 22 % surge in pending applications after the nationwide e-passport rollout on 28 May 2025, when every new booklet began carrying an embedded RFID chip. Applicants have flagged delays in police verification and address mismatches on the new smart-card operating system.
For expatriates and NRIs living in Maharashtra’s industrial corridor, the open house offers a chance to resolve complex cases such as change-of-appearance endorsements or renewal of short-validity passports issued abroad. HR teams relocating employees to Europe should note that Schengen consulates in Mumbai now require e-passports for long-term D-visas; clearing the backlog quickly is critical to hit January intake dates.
RPO officials say similar sessions could rotate to Nashik and Kolhapur in Q1 2026 if the model succeeds. Companies should advise travellers to carry physical file copies, Aadhaar and any mismatch-rectification letters to maximise the 15-minute consultation.
The open-house concept aligns with the Passport Seva 2.0 service-level agreement that mandates grievance resolution within 15 working days—a welcome boost as outbound mobility rebounds to pre-Covid volumes.
