Vijayawada to get new Regional Passport Office in January 2024

VIJAYAWADA: The Regional Passport Office (RPO)-Vijayawada, which has been functioning from Visakhapatnam so far, will be shifted to Governorpet in Vijayawada in January 2024, said Regional Passport Officer K Shiva Harsha on Saturday.

Shiva Harsha said that Vijayawada had a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK). Once the office was shifted to Vijayawada from Visakhapatnam, applicants could expect a reduction in the waiting time in obtaining their passports, as printing too would be done in the city, he said.

The Regional Passport Officer said that earlier, one had to go all the way to Visakhapatnam to get any issue resolved. “The shifting of the RPO will be a relief for the people of Rayalaseema, as Vijayawada is nearer to them than Visakhapatnam,” he said.

Shiva Harsha also said that PSK in Vijayawada was receiving around 2,000 applications per day and Post-Covid, the number of applications for new passports increased exponentially. Till October, 3 lakh passports were issued, he added.