Bengaluru to Roll Out Mobile Passport Van to Bring Services Closer to Residents

Bengaluru residents struggling to access Passport Seva Kendras will soon get services closer to home, with authorities set to launch a mobile passport van aimed at easing crowds at existing centres and reducing the need for long-distance travel for appointments.

The initiative comes after repeated complaints about heavy traffic, long travel times and limited appointment availability across Bengaluru. In recent months, many applicants have reportedly been forced to book slots in Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and even parts of Andhra Pradesh to avoid delays.

Mobile Passport Van to Begin Services This Week

The new mobile passport van is designed to support existing centres by handling on-site passport application processing. It will primarily cater to applicants who live far from current passport offices or who lack access to convenient public transport.

Operations will begin on Friday, 5 December, when the vehicle will be stationed at Mini Vidhana Soudha, NES Office Road, Yelahanka. Officials said the van will accept applications between 10 AM and 4 PM, with the capacity to process 40 to 50 applications in a single day.

Plan to Expand Across Bengaluru and Karnataka

Once the initial rollout is stabilised, the mobile unit is expected to visit several neighbourhoods each week. Officials also plan to extend services to districts across Karnataka that face rising passport demand but lack full-fledged Passport Seva Kendras.

"Overcrowding in passport kendras came to our notice earlier this year. This is one way to address it. We wanted to gauge the response first, and based on that, extend it to other parts of the state and city with high passport demand," a senior Regional Passport Office official told TOI.

Demand Surges After E-Passport Launch

Demand for travel documents has risen steadily since the introduction of e-passports in April. Over 6 lakh e-passports have been issued so far, with Bengaluru included in Phase I from May. The Regional Passport Office reports that the city now prints close to 90,000 passports every month.

Authorities say the mobile passport van will help manage this surge by decentralising services and making the application process more accessible to residents across the region.