Passport fee can be paid online from July onwards

[1]

Hyderabad: Obtaining a passport will be even easier from July, as the ministry of external affairs will be introducing a new service which allows an applicant to pay the passport fee online while submitting the application.
The ministry will also introduce online appointments through Passport Seva Kendras to speed up the application process. The online payment process has already been introduced on an experimental basis in Visakhapatnam and based on the feedback, Regional Passport Office authorities at Hyderabad will be introducing the same early next month, said authorities.
Dr K. Srikar Reddy, Regional Passport Officer, said, “Once a candidate pays the fee online while submitting details, he/she will immediately receive information indicating the time the applicant should go to the centre. The fee can be paid through debit or credit cards, and citizens who do not have cards, can pay the fee at the nearby bank (through a challan) and fill in the receipt details online.
The new procedure will also keep a check on agent related problems and bring down the per cent of appointment absentees.” The passport will reach the address of the applicant within 10 days, if submitted online.
Previously, applicants needed to obtain slot bookings after submitting online applications. Slot booking was available only in limited timings, and candidates used to seek the help of agents for slots.The new system will indicate when one has to go to the Passport Seva Kendra.