Passports Open Saturdays
Collect yours before they're destroyed: unclaimed passports will be gone after 6 months
The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP) has announced that passport collection counters will remain open on Saturdays for 2 months. The Saturday timings for passport collection counters are from 8am to 4pm.
The DGIP issued a public notice about the new Saturday timings, which is available on the DGIP's official website. The notice advises citizens to collect their passports as soon as possible, particularly those who were unable to visit during regular office hours.
The DGIP has also warned that passports remaining unclaimed for 6 months will be destroyed, as per government policy. This serves as a reminder to citizens to collect their passports promptly.
In recent months, the DGIP has introduced new services to improve passport delivery. In July, the DGIP partnered with TCS to launch a home delivery service for passports. Additionally, in June, the government announced plans to phase out machine-readable passports and switch to e-passports.
## Why it matters The new Saturday timings and home delivery service aim to provide greater convenience to citizens. The destruction of unclaimed passports after 6 months highlights the importance of collecting passports in a timely manner. With the introduction of e-passports, the government is moving towards a more secure and efficient passport system.
The public notice from the DGIP encourages citizens to take advantage of the new Saturday timings and collect their passports as soon as possible. This move is expected to benefit citizens who have been unable to collect their passports during regular office hours.
