Passport Appointment Reschedule or Refund Stuck

Last reviewed: 1 September 2026.

If you live abroad: see the NRI passport renewal delay guide for the police verification and embassy escalation path.

If your Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) appointment fee is paid but the reschedule is denied, the appointment was cancelled by the office, or your refund has crossed 60 days, you have four enforceable rights under Indian law:

1. Reschedule up to 2 times within 1 year of the first appointment date per the Passport Seva FAQ (only 1 reschedule for tatkaal appointments; no extra fee).
2. Refund if the payment fails or the service is not availed — the Passport Seva FAQ gives SBI 7 working days to return failed-payment debits, and Rule 10, Passport Rules 1980 allows a fee refund on application within 1 year of payment.
3. Grievance redressal on the Passport Seva portal (www.passportindia.gov.in > Report/Track Grievances); allow about 30 days, then escalate.
4. Consumer Protection Act 2019 complaint for “deficiency in service” if refund crosses 60 days, claim refund + ₹10,000 to ₹50,000 compensation.

Statutes that apply: Passport Act 1967 (Section 5), Passport Rules 1980 (Rule 8 fees, Rule 10 refunds), Consumer Protection Act 2019 (Section 2(11)), and the Right to Information Act 2005 for fee-flow tracking. The Supreme Court in Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978) 1 SCC 248 held that the right to a passport is part of the fundamental right to personal liberty under Article 21, so administrative delay that blocks travel is constitutionally reviewable.

A Hyderabad engineer paid ₹1,500 in March 2026 for a passport appointment at her city's Passport Seva Kendra. Three days before the slot, the system auto-cancelled with a one-line SMS: “Slot unavailable, refund initiated.” No refund came. The portal showed “Pending” for 47 days. On day 62 the status flipped to “Refund failed, please reapply.”

She did three things, in order:

1. Filed a grievance on the Passport Seva portal with the payment reference and SMS.
2. Sent an RTI to MEA's Consular, Passport and Visa Division asking which bank holds the unrefunded amount.
3. Filed a District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) complaint for ₹1,500 + ₹15,000 compensation.

The grievance reply came on day 11 of the RTI: refund credited same day, plus a written apology. Total time from RTI fire to refund: 11 days. Total cost: ₹10 RTI fee + one registered post.

The script is below.

Three forces converged this year:

1. Passport Seva 2.0 rollout: the portal was rebuilt on a new platform (it now runs at www.passportindia.gov.in/psp), and slot churn during the migration left paid bookings unconfirmed or cancelled.
2. Refund routing failures: refunds flow back through the merchant bank (SBI), and when the beneficiary account is closed or the UPI ID is wrong, the reversal fails silently until someone re-initiates it.
3. PSK consolidation in tier-2 cities meant fewer slots, so reschedule windows filled within hours, leaving applicants stuck with paid-but-unusable bookings.

You are not alone: failed and stuck payments are a recurring complaint on the Passport Seva portal, and the paper trail you build — payment proof, grievance ID, RTI — is what moves a stuck refund.

• Section 5 : Application for passport, fee structure prescribed.
• Section 11 : Appeal against refusal or revocation, but does not bar refund claims.
• Section 24 : Power of Central Government to make rules, including refund procedure.

• Rule 8 + Schedule III : Fee payable on applications — fresh, reissue, tatkaal. Fee is for the passport service, not appointment booking alone.
• Rule 10 : Refund of fees — refund if applied for within 1 year of payment where the service was not availed, the fee was in excess, or no fee was prescribed.

• Section 2(11) : Definition of “deficiency in service” includes any inadequacy in quality, nature, and manner of performance which is required to be maintained by law.
• Section 35 : Complaint to District Commission, pecuniary jurisdiction up to ₹50 lakh.
• Section 38(7) : Decision within 3 to 5 months of admission.

The MEA and PSK service is a “service for consideration” under CPA 2019. Lucknow Development Authority v. M.K. Gupta (1994) 1 SCC 243 confirmed that statutory authorities providing service for fee fall within consumer law.

• Section 6(1) : Application to PIO (here, MEA CPV Division).
• Section 7(1) : Reply within 30 days.
• Section 7(6) : Free disclosure if reply is delayed.

Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978) 1 SCC 248 : Right to travel abroad is part of “personal liberty” under Article 21. Administrative delay or arbitrary cancellation that blocks an applicant from securing a passport (and therefore travel) is reviewable as a violation of Article 21 read with Article 14 (arbitrariness).

For follow-on authority, Satwant Singh Sawhney v. D. Ramarathnam (1967) 3 SCR 525 held that refusing or delaying a passport without due procedure is unconstitutional.

Save these before doing anything else:

1. Payment confirmation email (subject line: “Payment Successful for Passport Application”).
2. SMS from VK-PASEVA or AD-PASEVA (sender IDs).
3. File Reference Number (15 character ARN).
4. Bank statement entry showing debit to BillDesk or SBI ePay merchant.
5. Cancellation SMS or screenshot of “Slot Unavailable” portal page.

Email all five items to yourself with subject “PSK refund evidence [ARN] [date]”. This becomes Annexure A in every later complaint.

Login to passportindia.gov.in > “Schedule Appointment” > select same PSK > if no slots, expand to nearest 3 PSKs within 50 km. Reschedule is free, up to 2 times within a year of the first appointment date (tatkaal appointments: only 1 reschedule).

If the system blocks reschedule with error “Appointment already utilised” or “Refund initiated”, do not retry. Move to Step 3, because retrying creates a duplicate ARN and confuses the refund trail.

Log in to www.passportindia.gov.in and open Report/Track Grievances (the grievance/feedback section of the portal).

Select category: “Refund / Payment Issues”. Sub-category: “Refund not received within 60 days” OR “Appointment cancelled by office”.

In the grievance text, paste this template:

File Reference Number: [ARN]
Payment Date: [DD/MM/2026]
Amount: ₹[X]
Transaction ID: [BillDesk/SBI ID]
PSK: [Name]
Original Appointment: [Date, Time]

The appointment was cancelled by the office on [date] vide SMS [quote]. As per Passport Seva refund SOP, the amount is payable within 60 working days. The refund has not been credited to my account ending [last 4 digits] till date. I request immediate refund along with a written explanation citing Section 5, Passport Act 1967 and Rules 8 and 10, Passport Rules 1980.

You will receive a Grievance ID (format PSPxxxxxxxxxx). Save it.

Rule of thumb: allow about 30 days for a first-level reply; if silent on day 31, escalate.

Use the AI RTI Drafter at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-drafter or draft manually.

PIO Address: Central Public Information Officer Consular, Passport and Visa Division Ministry of External Affairs Patiala House Annexe, Tilak Marg New Delhi 110001

Fee: ₹10 by IPO (Indian Postal Order) payable to “Accounts Officer, MEA, New Delhi”.

Body (5 questions, kept narrow under Section 2(f)):

1. On what date did the merchant bank receive the amount of ₹[X] paid against ARN [number]?
2. What is the status of refund processing for this ARN as on the date of this RTI?
3. Provide a copy of the Standard Operating Procedure governing refund of cancelled-by-office PSK appointments.
4. State the total number of refund cases pending beyond 60 days at PSK [name] for FY 2025-26.
5. Provide the file noting on the cancellation of appointment ARN [number].

A pro tip: send a second copy via Speed Post with Acknowledgement Due. The AD card is your proof of receipt for the 30-day clock. Track at indiapost.gov.in and save the screenshot.

After dispatch, run the reply (when it arrives) through the PIO Reply Checker at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/pio-reply-checker to flag deemed-refusal or vague answers.

Many “stuck” refunds are actually credited to a closed or wrong UPI ID. Login to your bank's net banking, file a TPIN-protected dispute at the merchant transaction with reason “Refund not received”. The Passport Seva FAQ directs payment-refund follow-ups to the SBI ePay helpdesk ([email protected], 011-41561114, 10 AM–5 PM) — email them the ARN, transaction ID, amount and date.

If your bank stalls, file RBI ombudsman complaint at cms.rbi.org.in. Use 30-day clock from your written bank complaint.

If grievance silent on day 30 and refund not credited, send a 15-day legal notice to:

1. Chief Passport Officer, CPV Division, MEA
2. Passport Officer of your PSK
3. State Bank of India, ePay Merchant Services (CC)

Notice prayer: refund of ₹[X] + interest at 9% per annum + ₹15,000 compensation for mental harassment + cost of notice ₹2,000.

If unanswered on day 51, file DCDRC complaint under Section 35 of CPA 2019. Court fee is nil for claims up to ₹5 lakh (₹200 for ₹5–10 lakh claims; check your state schedule). You can file online at e-jagriti.gov.in.

If your travel is time-bound (medical, study, employment abroad), invoke the High Court directly under Article 226 citing Maneka Gandhi 1978 and Satwant Singh 1967. Cost: court fee ₹100 to ₹500 + advocate fee. Outcome: usually a same-day mandamus to refund and reschedule.

In consumer cases of this type, commissions commonly award:

• Refund principal : the full fee you paid (₹2,500/₹3,500 normal, ₹5,000/₹6,000 tatkaal after the 1 July 2026 revision).
• Interest at 9% per annum from date of payment to date of refund.
• Mental harassment : ₹5,000 to ₹25,000.
• Litigation cost : ₹2,000 to ₹10,000.

Do not inflate the prayer. Commissions reduce inflated claims and may dismiss as frivolous. Stick to actual expenses (re-booking fee, lost flight ticket, doctor's certificate if travel was medical).

1. Re-booking with same email and phone before old refund settles. The new ARN can hijack the refund routing.
2. Calling 1800-258-1800 ten times. Phone calls are not legal evidence. Email and portal grievance are.
3. Paying an “agent” on social media who promises 24-hour refund. These are scams. Read fake immigration consultancy scams before paying anyone.
4. Filing RTI to PSK directly. PSKs are TCS-run service centres, not public authorities under RTI Act 2005. The PIO is at MEA CPV Division.
5. Missing the 2-year limitation under CPA 2019 Section 69. Two years from cause of action.

If your appointment is fine but police verification is stuck and a foreign job offer is at stake, follow police verification pending guide. The drill is similar (RTI to SP office + grievance to MEA) but the legal anchor shifts to Section 5, Passport Act 1967.

If the passport application is bouncing because of a delayed birth certificate, fix the upstream document first. See birth certificate delay guide.

Some readers report that an “agent” used their PSK file number to apply for a fake visa. If you suspect identity misuse, freeze the ARN by writing to MEA CPV and read visa fraud recovery guide for the parallel cyber-fraud track.

The CPA 2019 framework you used here is the same one that powers coaching institute refunds. Once you win one, the second is muscle memory.

• AI RTI Drafter : drafts the MEA RTI in 90 seconds with proper PIO address and Section citations.
• PIO Reply Checker : flags deemed-refusal, vague replies, and Section 8 misuse.
• RTI Act 2005 complete guide : full statute walkthrough if you are filing your first RTI.
• The RTI Playbook

Real anonymised reply from CPV Division (April 2026):

Ref: F.No. RTI/CPV/2026/[xxxx]
Sir/Madam,

Q1: The amount of ₹1,500 was received by SBI ePay on [date] and credited to MEA pool account on [date+1].
Q2: Refund was initiated on [date+45] but failed due to “Beneficiary account closed” code 'BAC03'. Re-initiation requires fresh bank details.
Q3: SOP enclosed (Annexure I, 4 pages).
Q4: 312 cases pending beyond 60 days at PSK [name] as on [date].
Q5: File noting enclosed (Annexure II, 2 pages).

This reply gives you both the why (failed beneficiary code) and the fix (submit fresh bank details). Email the fresh bank details to the SBI ePay helpdesk at [email protected] (or call 011-41561114) with the RTI reference. Refunds usually credit within a few working days once the details are corrected.

Sometimes PSKs argue that the appointment slot itself is the “service”, so no refund is due. This is legally weak. Rule 8 of Passport Rules 1980 (read with Section 5 of the Act) ties the fee to the passport service, not slot allocation — and Rule 10 requires refund where the service was not availed. Cite:

• Indian Medical Association v. V.P. Shantha (1995) 6 SCC 651 : services by a statutory body or professional for consideration are “service” under consumer law, so non-delivery is deficiency.
• On the same logic, a public authority that charges a fee for a service it never delivered must refund it — retention without service is “deficiency” under Section 2(11), CPA 2019.

Add these two citations in your DCDRC complaint para 6.

If you paid the tatkaal fee (₹5,000/₹6,000 after the 1 July 2026 fee revision) and PSK cancelled, the harm is bigger because tatkaal implies urgency. District commissions have awarded higher compensation (₹25,000+) in tatkaal-cancelled cases. Plead the urgency in your CPA complaint with documentary proof (job offer letter, medical visa requirement, marriage certificate abroad, etc.).

Q: How long does the official refund take? A: Failed-payment debits are returned by SBI within 7 working days per the Passport Seva FAQ; where the service was not availed, apply under Rule 10 within 1 year of payment. Beyond a reasonable period is “deficiency in service” under CPA 2019.

Q: Can I file RTI to TCS (Passport Seva service partner)? A: No. TCS is a private contractor. File to MEA CPV Division. The PIO must obtain TCS-held data under the contract.

Q: My refund came short by ₹50. What do I do? A: Even ₹50 short of the paid amount is deficiency. File a single-line grievance citing original payment receipt. Banks adjust within 7 days.

Q: Is the appointment fee GST-inclusive? A: The passport fee is a statutory fee under the Passport Rules fee schedule. The Passport Seva portal charges the schedule fee only — you should not pay any GST on top of it.

Q: My PSK appointment was rescheduled by the office to 6 months later. Can I claim refund? A: Yes, if the new date does not suit you. Cite “constructive cancellation” and ask for full refund + ₹5,000 inconvenience under CPA 2019.

Q: What if my passport application itself was rejected? A: Different track. Use Section 11 appeal under Passport Act 1967 within 30 days of rejection. The fee is generally non-refundable when the application was processed and rejected on merits, but appointment-fee-only refund logic in this guide does not apply.

For weekend execution speed, see weekend problem solver. For a full peer-help network when you are stuck, join citizen crisis response network.

If you are filing your first RTI, start at the RTI Act 2005 complete guide. To draft fast, use the AI RTI Drafter. Once a reply lands, run it through the PIO Reply Checker before you accept it.

For adjacent passport problems, the dedicated guides are police verification pending, birth certificate delay, and visa fraud recovery. For the parallel scam ecosystem to avoid, read fake immigration consultancy scams. For service refund logic that mirrors this guide, see coaching institute refund rights.

1. Pull the payment SMS and email out of your inbox and email them to yourself in one bundle.
2. File the grievance on www.passportindia.gov.in (Report/Track Grievances).
3. Fire the RTI to MEA CPV Division by Speed Post AD with ₹10 IPO.
4. Raise the bank dispute for the unrefunded merchant transaction.
5. Diary day 30 and day 51 in your phone calendar with reminders titled “PSK escalate”.