Passport Seva Complaint & Escalation 2026

Reviewed on: 2026-06-19.

Most citizens land on the status-checker after their application stalls. But tracking only tells you where things are. A complaint does something different: it puts the passport office on notice, creates a reference number, and sets an escalation clock in motion.

Common triggers that call for a formal complaint, not just a status check:

• Passport not dispatched after “Granted” status with no explanation
• Police verification report stuck for an extended period with no update
• Tatkaal application converted without consent or fee refund not credited
• Passport returned undelivered and RPO not responding to calls
• Error printed in the booklet that the PSK is refusing to own
• Application rejected without a written reason being communicated

If any of these matches your situation, the steps below are for you. For checking where your application stands right now, see how to track passport status.

The Passport Seva National Call Centre operates at 1800-258-1800 (toll-free). You can call this number to:

• Lodge a grievance and receive a tracking reference
• Check the status of a previously registered grievance
• Report an urgent issue such as an undelivered passport with an imminent travel date

The call centre is listed on the official Passport Seva portal as the first point of contact for complaints. Keep a note of the reference number given to you at the end of the call.

If a call does not resolve the matter, register the complaint in writing through the portal.

1. Go to www.passportindia.gov.in → Feedback/Grievance
2. Log in with your registered account
3. Select your complaint category and fill in the details
4. Submit and save the complaint reference number
5. To track its progress later, visit Report/Track Grievances

The portal also lets you escalate an existing complaint if you feel it has not been addressed satisfactorily.

If the Passport Seva portal grievance is closed without a resolution you accept, escalate to the Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) run by the Department of Administrative Reforms.

CPGRAMS is explicitly listed on the Passport Seva portal. See our guide on how to file a CPGRAMS complaint for the step-by-step process.

For passport grievances, select the Ministry of External Affairs when choosing the ministry. Attach correspondence from the Passport Seva portal. CPGRAMS routes your complaint to the Nodal Grievance Officer at the concerned Passport Office.

If your grievance remains unresolved even after CPGRAMS, the Passport Seva portal itself directs you to the Directorate of Public Grievances (DPG), Cabinet Secretariat.

You can lodge a complaint at dpg.gov.in.

DPG handles complaints against central government ministries including the Ministry of External Affairs and Regional Passport Offices. This escalation is appropriate when the MEA/RPO has not satisfactorily addressed the matter within a reasonable time.

A grievance is different from a statutory appeal. If the Passport Office takes an adverse decision against your application - such as rejection, impounding, or revocation - you have the right to appeal.

The appeal process is available directly on the Passport Seva portal:

1. Log in at www.passportindia.gov.in
2. Select “Log Appeal” from the home page
3. Choose the application you wish to appeal against
4. Enter your details (File Number, Date of Birth, Email, Mobile, Address)
5. Describe the grounds of appeal and click Submit
6. An appeal number is generated; track it under “View Submitted Appeal(s)”

If you are outside India, you may authorise a representative to appear before the CPV Division, Ministry of External Affairs, by submitting a nominee authorisation form at the time of logging the appeal.

Police verification (PV) is conducted by the state police, not by the Passport Office. If your application is stuck at the PV stage, the complaint path is slightly different. See our article on police verification status and delays for what you can do, including how to approach the Superintendent of Police.

If PV is genuinely delayed due to administrative failure, a written representation to the Superintendent of Police of the concerned district is the correct first step.

If your complaint relates to an Indian Mission abroad (lost passport, consular service delay, emergency travel document), the correct channel is MADAD (Consular Grievances Monitoring System), run by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Visit madad.gov.in to register and track consular grievances. MADAD also has a mobile app available on Android and iOS.

For 24/7 emergency assistance in Gulf countries and Malaysia, specific helpline numbers are published on the MEA website at mea.gov.in/contact-us.

An RTI application to the Regional Passport Office (or to the CPV Division, MEA) is the most powerful tool when the complaint route has stalled. RTI compels a written, reasoned, official reply within 30 days (RTI Act 2005, s.7(1)).

Use RTI if:

• The passport office is not responding to your complaint at all
• You want to know the specific reason your application was rejected
• You want a copy of the adverse police verification report
• You want to know which officer processed your file and on what date
• You want the file notings that led to revocation or impounding

File an RTI to: the Regional Passport Officer (a public authority) and the Ministry of External Affairs

• What is the current status of my passport application (ARN/File Number: ) and at which stage is it stuck?
• Please provide a copy of the police verification report received in my application.
• What is the reason for the rejection/revocation of my application and who is the officer who signed the order?
• On what date did your office dispatch communications to me and through which mode?
• What action has been taken on my grievance registered with reference number , and by whom?

You can file online through rtionline.gov.in (application fee Rs. 10, payable online). For physical applications at the CPV Division, New Delhi, the fee is payable in cash or DD/BC/IPO in favour of the Accounts Officer, Ministry of External Affairs. At Regional Passport Offices, draw the DD/BC/IPO in favour of the Passport Officer of the concerned office.

First appeal lies with the First Appellate Authority at the relevant Passport Office (s.19(1), RTI Act, 30 days from receipt of reply or expiry of 30-day period). Second appeal lies with the Central Information Commission.

→ Use our free AI RTI Drafter to generate a complete Section 6(1) application.

Log in to the Passport Seva portal and visit Report/Track Grievances. You will need the reference number given when you registered the complaint. You can also call 1800-258-1800 and quote the same number.

Call 1800-258-1800 first and note the reference. If there is no dispatch within a few working days of the call, register a written complaint on the Passport Seva portal under the feedback/grievance section. In parallel, contact the nearest RPO with your ARN and the date the Granted status was shown.

Yes. Return the passport to the Regional Passport Office concerned for rectification. If the error is on the Passport Office's side, no additional fee should be charged. If the error originated in your application, the RPO will advise on the process, which may involve applying for a re-issue. Register a grievance on the portal if the RPO is not acknowledging the correction.

File a written grievance on the Passport Seva portal with the ARN, fee payment receipt, and the rejection communication. If not resolved, escalate to CPGRAMS selecting the Ministry of External Affairs. Fee-related complaints of this nature can also be taken to the Income Tax Commissioner (Refunds) channel, but the Passport Seva portal grievance is the correct first step. For similar experiences with other government portals, see our guide on income tax grievance filing.

No. MADAD is exclusively for consular complaints - issues that arise at Indian Missions and Posts abroad (lost passport abroad, emergency travel document, OCI-related delays at a foreign mission). Domestic passport complaints (issued from Indian Passport Offices) go through the Passport Seva portal grievance system, CPGRAMS, and DPG - not MADAD. Compare this with how RailMadad works for railway complaints - each department has its own portal; using the wrong one leads to no action.

Yes. RTI applications to the Ministry of External Affairs and all Regional Passport Offices can be filed online at rtionline.gov.in. The fee is Rs. 10, payable through net banking, credit card, debit card, or UPI. BPL cardholders are exempt from the fee.

Reopen or re-register the grievance on the Passport Seva portal with a note that the previous resolution was unsatisfactory. If the portal closes it again, file on CPGRAMS and use the portal closure as evidence that the internal mechanism failed. After CPGRAMS, approach the Directorate of Public Grievances at dpg.gov.in.

• Passport Seva Portal, Grievances section: passportindia.gov.in/psp/Grievances
• Passport Seva Portal, Register Feedback/Grievance: passportindia.gov.in/psp/RegisterFeedbackGrievance
• Passport Seva Portal, National Call Centre (1800-258-1800): passportindia.gov.in
• MADAD Consular Grievances Monitoring System: madad.gov.in
• Directorate of Public Grievances, Cabinet Secretariat: dpg.gov.in
• RTI Online Portal (Ministry of Electronics and IT): rtionline.gov.in
• Ministry of External Affairs Contact: mea.gov.in/contact-us
• Right to Information Act 2005, ss. 6, 7, 19: indiacode.nic.in

By Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak