Post Office Passport Seva Kendra opened at Pollachi

The country’s 452nd Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) was opened at the Head Post Office, Pollachi, in Coimbatore district on Sunday (November 30, 2025). The POPSK will initially handle 40 applications a day, with plans for expansion based on demand.

Pollachi MP K. Eswarasamy inaugurated the POPSK in the presence of Pollachi MLA Pollachi V. Jayaraman, Udumalpet MLA K. Radhakrishnan, Kinathukadavu MLA S. Dhamodaran and officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Department of Posts.

B.S. Mubarak, Joint Secretary (Passport Seva Programme) and Chief Passport Officer, MEA, said the establishment of the POPSK at Pollachi is a crucial step in making passport services more inclusive, citizen-friendly and accessible to all.

The new facility is established to address the long-standing need for passport services at Pollachi as residents earlier had to travel to Coimbatore to avail themselves of the services.

According to Mr. Mubarak, technological innovations have transformed passport services. Going forward, all newly issued passports will be e-passports, which is a hybrid passport that combines both paper and electronic elements, while existing non-electronic passports will remain valid until their expiry. E-passport features an embedded Radio Frequency Identification chip and an antenna, which store and secure the holder’s data in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards. 

A release said a Mobile Passport Van with all facilities similar to Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) introduced by MEA for the region, to cater passport services to the citizens of remote areas, has processed over 1,000 applications since its launch.

With the launch of the POPSK at Pollachi, the total daily appointment capacity of one PSK and six POPSKS under Coimbatore RPO will increase to 1,100 applications, covering six districts and seven Lok Sabha constituencies, namely Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Erode, Tiruppur, Namakkal, Salem and Pollachi.

Mariamma Thomas, Chief Postmaster General, Tamil Nadu Circle; A. Saravanan, Postmaster General, Western Region, Coimbatore; S. Koventhan, Director (Passport Seva Project), MEA; and Sathish K.S., Regional Passport Officer, Coimbatore, were present.