Passport server crash causes nationwide chaos, cancelled plans, long delays

A nationwide passport server crash left thousands stranded, cancelling urgent travel plans and overwhelming centres with delays, confusion, and zero communication

A massive server failure in India’s passport system disrupted services for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, leaving applicants across major cities in chaos. What began as a technical snag on Tuesday escalated into a full-blown nationwide outage, with cancelled appointments, long queues, and inadequate communication from authorities, reported The Times of India.

 

From Mumbai and Pune to Delhi and beyond, people who had scheduled passport appointments weeks or even months in advance had to wait endlessly or reschedule — often at the cost of other professional and personal commitments.

 

Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) struggled to manage the crisis as server issues remained unresolved. Hundreds of applicants across Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) reported cancellations without prior notice, while others waited for hours before being asked to return another day.

 

“The server problem persisted even on Wednesday pan-India. We are trying to sort the issue as soon as possible, and everything should run smoothly soon,” a senior passport official said, assuring that the technical team was working on urgent fixes.

But for many, the damage was already done. 

Mahsku Phadtare, an applicant at Pune’s PSK Ghorpadi centre, shared her ordeal: “The PSK Pune-Ghorpadi office has not been operational since yesterday due to server issues. I had an appointment at 3.30 pm but received no message or email informing me of any cancellation. I've been waiting since 12.30 pm.”

 

Phadtare, who needed to travel abroad urgently for work, said officials had only one response: “Reschedule your appointment or visit Solapur PSK.” Frustrated, she said, “This is extremely difficult when I need to travel urgently for professional commitments.”

 

In Mumbai, the RPO acknowledged the disruption on social media, stating: “Appointments for passport applications at all PSKs/POPSKs under RPO Mumbai are suspended till 1pm today (Wednesday) due to server issues. Affected applicants may reschedule the appointment to a further date.”

 

Later, the Mumbai RPO clarified that those who had already exhausted their three permitted rescheduling attempts would be allowed an additional chance due to the technical glitch.

 

The outage affected families and children too. Rahul Singhvi, a parent, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “My child missed school because of a scheduled passport appointment. It would have been really helpful if we had been informed earlier.”

 

Pallav Kadhi, a businessman from Warje, described the situation outside the Pune passport office on Wednesday: “We had been standing in extreme heat outside the passport office gate for hours, and finally they told us to leave, stating: ‘All passport services were suspended for April 9. Additional chance for applicants to reschedule will be communicated’.”

 

Kadhi, who had planned to travel to Thailand for a business trip, found the next available appointment was more than a month away. “This means my plans for an upcoming Thailand business trip stand cancelled,” he said.