MEITY & MEA Enable Paperless Passport Verification via DigiLocker

In a major boost to Digital India, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) have jointly launched a paperless, contactless passport verification process through DigiLocker. This digital integration allows citizens to access and share their Passport Verification Records (PVRs) directly from the issued documents section of their DigiLocker accounts. This citizen-centric move aims to streamline the passport application and verification process, making it more efficient, transparent, and digitally verifiable.

Key Features and Benefits of the DigiLocker-PVR Integration

This initiative promotes paperless governance by providing a secure and convenient way to manage and verify important identification documents digitally.

Here are the main features and advantages.

• Paperless Access and Storage: Citizens can now view and store their Passport Verification Records (PVRs) within DigiLocker, eliminating the need for physical document handling or printing.
• Secure and Trusted Verification: PVRs can be digitally verified using DigiLocker’s secure platform, ensuring data integrity, authenticity, and reducing the risk of tampering or forgery.
• Ease of Sharing for Services: The digital record can be easily shared with authorized agencies, such as passport offices, for processing applications or conducting background checks, without submitting paper copies.
• Contactless and Efficient Processing: The move aligns with post-pandemic protocols by reducing the need for in-person visits and physical document submissions, thus ensuring a contactless workflow.
• Integration with Official Verification Documents (OVD): The PVR now joins other government-issued documents within DigiLocker, enabling centralized digital access to vital identity and verification records.
• Support for Digital India Vision: This step reinforces the national mission to digitize governance and citizen services, cutting bureaucratic delays and improving service delivery.

How It Works

• Once a citizen’s PVR is generated, it is automatically pushed to their DigiLocker account.
• Users can then access the document in the ‘Issued Documents’ section.
• This document can be downloaded, shared, or digitally verified without the need for manual authentication.
• Government departments or authorized institutions can directly access the record for faster processing of applications.