Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Dec 7: In an effort to reduce long queues and repeated visits to crowded passport centres, the Regional Passport Office has introduced a mobile passport van service, bringing key passport procedures directly to neighbourhoods across the city.

Designed as a compact, fully functional passport unit, the van can handle biometric registration, document verification and application processing on-site, eliminating the need for applicants to visit the main offices in Koramangala, Lalbagh or Marathahalli. The service currently operates every Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Vidhana Soudha, NIN Office Road and Yelahanka, with plans to expand the model across Karnataka based on public response.

Officials said each van can process between 40 and 50 applications a day. Early projections indicate that the new system could help support the delivery of up to 90,000 passports per month once fully scaled. The vans are equipped with RFID-enabled systems, and e-passports issued through the service come with an embedded antenna and chip on the back cover to securely store personal and biometric data. A gold-coloured symbol on the front identifies it as an e-passport. Authorities noted that the enhanced security features will help curb duplication and related fraud.

Since e-passports were introduced in April, over six lakh have already been issued nationwide, signalling a strong shift toward faster and more secure travel documents.

Applicants wishing to use the mobile service must apply through the Passport Seva website or app and enable DigiLocker-based document verification. Once verified, the booking option for the mobile passport van will appear.

Officials said the initiative will ease pressure on the city’s busiest passport centres while offering citizens a quicker and more accessible alternative right in their local areas.