Passport Stuck at Grant Pending? What to Do

Reviewed on: 2026-05-30.

RTI is useful when a public authority holds the record behind passport application stuck at grant pending status. Ask for information, not action. Good RTI points are: current status of file, date-wise movement, copies of deficiency notes, inspection reports, payment release note, dispatch record, rule relied upon, name and designation of the office holding the file, and copies of correspondence between offices. Do not ask the PIO to “solve my grievance” or “punish the officer”. RTI cannot force a private company to refund money unless the record is held by a public authority, but it can expose government-side delay, missing file movement or reasons.

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1. Step 1: What does “grant pending” passport status mean? (a) Grant pending: (i) passport application has cleared verification — police report received, (ii) file is at Regional Passport Office (RPO) for final grant/approval, (iii) typically takes 3-7 days after verification, (b) common causes of delay: (i) RPO backlog — high volume, (ii) adverse/partial police report — needs clarification, (iii) documentation issue — additional documents requested, (iv) system error — file stuck in workflow, (v) security clearance pending — certain categories, © rights: (i) applicant has right to know reason — RTI, (ii) right to timeline — RPO must grant within 30 days of police report, (iii) right to grievance — RPO grievance cell, (d) authority: RPO + Chief Passport Officer + Ministry of External Affairs, (e) law: Passport Act 1967 + Passport Rules 1980 + RTI Act 2005.

1. Step 2: Comparison table — grant pending scenarios. (a) RPO backlog: (i) issue: high volume delay, (ii) remedy: wait + file RTI for timeline, (iii) timeline: 7-15 days, (iv) example: backlog; RTI; granted in 7 days, (b) Adverse police report: (i) issue: adverse/partial report, (ii) remedy: clarification + documents, (iii) timeline: 15-30 days, (iv) example: adverse; clarified; granted, © Additional documents: (i) issue: RPO requests more documents, (ii) remedy: submit requested documents, (iii) timeline: 7-15 days, (iv) example: requested; submitted; granted, (d) System error: (i) issue: file stuck in workflow, (ii) remedy: contact RPO + Grievance, (iii) timeline: 7-15 days, (iv) example: stuck; contacted; resolved; granted, (e) Security clearance: (i) issue: security clearance pending, (ii) remedy: wait + RTI for status, (iii) timeline: 30-60 days, (iv) example: clearance; RTI; cleared; granted. (Note: Grant pending means police verification done. RPO must grant within 30 days. File RTI for delays.)

1. Step 3: How to resolve grant pending passport. (a) Step 1: Check status on passportindia.gov.in, (b) Step 2: If pending >7 days — contact RPO grievance, © Step 3: File RTI with RPO — reason for delay, (d) Step 4: If adverse report — submit clarification, (e) Step 5: If documents requested — submit promptly, (f) Step 6: Escalate to Chief Passport Officer + MEA if unresolved.

1. Step 5: Practical tips. (a) grant pending is normal — wait 3-7 days, (b) if >7 days — file RTI, © adverse police report — clarify immediately, (d) RPO grievance — file online, (e) Example: An applicant's passport was stuck at grant pending for 20 days; filed RTI; granted in 7 days; passport dispatched.

1. Step 6: Key provisions. (a) Passport Act 1967, (b) Passport Rules 1980, © RPO: grant authority, (d) RTI Act 2005: status, (e) MEA: escalation.

See Passport Grant Pending and Passport File Closed and How to File RTI.