Discussion: Stuck passport application? File RTI in 30 days — plain-language guide
If your passport is stuck, you don't need an agent, a tout, or a “consultant”. You need a ₹10 postal order, a registered envelope, and the template above. Don't pay anyone to file an RTI for you. It is a one-page letter, a ten-rupee stamp, and a polite tone. That's it.
— First comment was posted on the article page: https://righttoinformation.wiki/rti-for-stuck-passport-application — Subsequent comments on this article will be appended here as replies.
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Discussion
4 replies+1 to this. Adding a couple of practical notes:
- Standard RTI reply timeline is 30 days, but for passport applications MEA's PSK usually responds inside 18-22 days when the RTI is correctly addressed to the CPIO at your Regional Passport Office (not Delhi HQ).
- If your application is stuck due to police verification, file two RTIs in parallel — one to PSK, one to the SP/DCP at the police station whose report is pending. The dual-track shakes things loose faster than chasing one office.
Ready-made template + step-by-step: https://righttoinformation.wiki/rti-for-stuck-passport-application Auto-draft tool (fills in your specific case): https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html
When (and *exactly* how) to escalate to the First Appellate Authority is covered in Chapter 7 of The RTI Playbook.
Confirming the dual-track tip — police verification was stuck for 7 weeks for my brother. Filed parallel RTIs to PSK + Commissionerate; got the passport in 11 days after that.
Important nuance: for tatkaal applications the timeline expectation in the RTI should reference the published tatkaal SLA (3 working days post-appointment), not the standard 30-day RTI clock. PIOs respond differently when the SLA is quoted back at them.
Filed via the ai-rti-draft-app last month for a re-issue case — single page, plain language, got reply in 9 days. The 'don't pay an agent' part is so true, it's a ₹10 stamp job.