Passport a travel document, not citizenship proof: Ministry of External Affairs

With six working days for passports, excluding police verification, the time spent at passport seva kendras spans less than 45 minutes, officials said.

An MEA official said for Indians, countries with visa-free entry stand at 27, an increase from 16 in 2019. “Forty-seven countries have visa on arrival (policy) for Indians and 66 countries offer electronic visas for Indians,” the official said, highlighting a slew of mobility agreements signed with European countries in the recent past.

“They (agreements) facilitate easier mobility of academics, students, apprentices, regular tourists and businesses. Also, create a mechanism for easier return of illegal migrants.”

The ministry will soon organise a two-day Human Resource Mobility Forum to highlight legal pathways for migration and facilitate networking between foreign employers and Indian nationals seeking jobs abroad.

Earlier in the day, on the occasion of the 14th Passport Seva Divas, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shared a message on X, noting that the event marks the anniversary of the Passports Act, 1967, and serves as a reflection on the modernisation of India’s passport infrastructure.