A total of 452 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) have been made operational across 23 postal circles in the country, significantly improving public access to passport services. According to the Ministry of Communications and Rural Development, passport application volumes — including police clearance certificates — stood at 35,05,818 in 2023, dipped to 32,38,811 in 2024, and rose again to 39,59,325 in 2025. Officials said periodic assessments show that POPSKs have helped reduce travel time, distance and expenses for applicants, strengthening last‑mile delivery of essential services. The Ministry added that the centres have made passport services more inclusive, affordable and citizen‑centric, particularly for residents of remote and semi‑urban regions.
POPSKs are currently functional across 23 postal circles: Andhra Pradesh has 21 centres; Assam, 15; Bihar, 37; Chhattisgarh, 9; Delhi, 5; Gujarat, 25; Haryana, 11; Himachal Pradesh, 6; Jammu & Kashmir, 6; and Jharkhand, 15. Karnataka has 23 centres, Kerala 9, Madhya Pradesh 25, Maharashtra 42, the North East Circle 5, Odisha 20, Punjab 9, Rajasthan 24, Tamil Nadu 32, Telangana 14, Uttar Pradesh 52, Uttarakhand 6 and West Bengal 41.
The network’s expansion across 23 postal circles has substantially reduced the need for citizens to travel long distances to metropolitan cities for passport‑related work. The initiative is also set to grow further, with plans to increase the number of POPSKs to 600 by 2028–29 to enhance accessibility and convenience.
With increasing mobility of Indians for education, employment and personal commitments, the Ministry noted that the passport has become an essential document for a growing segment of the population. To meet rising demand and ensure citizens are not required to undertake long journeys to access passport services, the Ministry of External Affairs partnered with the Department of Posts to leverage the extensive postal network. Under this collaboration, POPSKs are being established to provide passport services closer to people’s residences, and both MEA and DoP have agreed to set up at least one POPSK in every Lok Sabha constituency.
Between January and November 2025 alone, more than 29 lakh passport applications — including 1.54 lakh police clearance certificates — were processed through POPSKs, generating revenue of Rs 114.88 crore for the Department of Posts.
