In short. An adverse police verification passport report means the police have told the Regional Passport Office they cannot recommend you, so your file is put on hold rather than refused. This guide is for applicants in Delhi and NCR whose status shows the report as not clear or adverse. Most cases caused by address or record mix-ups are fixed with clarification and re-verification in a few weeks to a few months. A pending criminal case needs a court order. Start by finding out the exact reason this week.
Is this your situation?
- Your Passport Seva status says the police verification report is not clear and the application is under review at the Regional Passport Office.
- The police officer who came for verification did not find you at home, or you had recently moved.
- You are a tenant, student or working professional who has lived at the address for less than a year.
- An FIR was once registered against you, or someone with your name, and you think it showed up in the police check.
- You have a criminal case pending, or ended in acquittal, discharge or quashing, and the passport is stuck.
- The passport office has sent you a letter or show cause notice asking you to explain the police report.
- You are abroad, applied for renewal, and the Delhi police report on your Indian address has come back adverse.
Key points
- Adverse is not refusal. An adverse report puts your passport on hold; the Regional Passport Office must still decide, and you have the right to know the reason and answer it.
- Find the exact reason first. Address not verified, a name match on the police database, a pending case and suppression of a past case each need a different fix.
- Most address problems end with re-verification. Supply proof of residence, ask the RPO to send the file back for re-verification, and stay reachable when the police call.
- A pending criminal case needs the trial court's permission. Under notification GSR 570(E), the court where the case is pending can permit you to get a passport, and the RPO acts on that order.
- The High Court comes in when the system stalls or refuses unfairly. If the RPO neither decides nor gives reasons, or refuses on a ground the law does not support, a writ petition can follow, after the statutory appeal where one lies.
What does an adverse police verification report mean?
When you apply for a passport, the Regional Passport Office sends your details to the police of the area where you live. The police check that you live at the address you gave, that your identity matches, and that there is no criminal record or pending case that bars a passport. They then send a report back, classified in substance as clear, adverse or incomplete. Clear means the file goes ahead. Adverse means the police could not recommend you. Incomplete usually means the verification could not be finished, often because the officer could not meet you.
On the Passport Seva portal an adverse report typically shows as 'police verification report is not clear' with the application 'under review at Regional Passport Office'. That is the stage most people call passport on hold. Nothing has been refused. The RPO is waiting for the problem to be resolved, either by clarification from you, by a fresh police report, or by a decision on the material it has.
The passport office cannot simply ignore an adverse report and issue the passport. Nor can it sit on the file indefinitely. If it proposes to refuse, the Passports Act 1967 requires it to pass an order, and Section 5(3) requires it to record its reasons in writing and give you a brief statement of them on demand, except in narrow cases involving national security or foreign relations. That right to reasons is what makes every later step possible.
How police verification works in Delhi
In Delhi, passport verification is handled by the Delhi Police Special Branch through its field staff, who visit or contact the applicant, check documents and, where needed, speak to neighbours. Verification is now largely digital: the officer records findings on a mobile application and the report is uploaded to the passport system, which is why status updates appear online. A criminal record check is run against police records, including the crime and criminal tracking network.
Most fresh applications go through police verification before the passport is issued. Some categories, including many renewals with no change in particulars, and Tatkaal applications that meet the documentary conditions, may get the passport first with verification afterwards. An adverse post-issue report is more serious, because it can lead to a notice proposing to revoke or impound the passport you already hold. Our guide on what to do if your passport is impounded covers that situation.
For residents of Ghaziabad, Noida and Gurugram, verification is done by the police of that district and the file sits with the Regional Passport Office for that area, not the Delhi RPO at Bhikaji Cama Place. The steps below are the same in substance, but the officers and offices are different, and the forum for a writ may be a different High Court, as explained further down.
Why passport police reports come back adverse
- Not found at the address. The officer visited twice and found the house locked, or the family told him you had moved. This is the single most common cause.
- Short residence. You have lived at the present address for less than a year and gave only that address, without the earlier one.
- Tenant without proof. The landlord would not confirm the tenancy, there was no registered or notarised rent agreement, or the tenant verification form had not been filed with the local police.
- A name match on the police database. Someone with a similar name and father's name has a case, and the record check flags you. This happens more often than people expect.
- An FIR or a pending case against you. The police record shows a case under investigation, a chargesheet filed, or a trial pending in a criminal court.
- A past case you did not disclose. The application form asks about pending cases and convictions. A case you left out, even one that ended, can lead to an adverse report on the ground of suppression.
- Mismatch in particulars. Different spellings of your name, a different date of birth on two documents, or a father's name that does not match the records.
The law that decides whether your passport is cleared
Article 21 of the Constitution
The right to travel abroad is part of personal liberty. Satwant Singh Sawhney v. D. Ramarathnam (1967) established this, and Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978) held that any procedure restricting it must be fair, just and reasonable. A passport cannot be withheld without a lawful ground and a fair process.
Section 5, Passports Act 1967
The passport authority must, after making such inquiry as it considers necessary, either issue the passport or refuse it by an order in writing. Section 5(3) requires reasons to be recorded and a brief statement furnished on demand, save where disclosure would harm the sovereignty, security or friendly relations of India or the general public interest.
Section 6(2), Passports Act 1967
Lists the only grounds on which a passport may be refused. The ones that come up after a police report are: clause (e), conviction during the previous five years for an offence involving moral turpitude with a sentence of two years or more; clause (f), criminal proceedings pending against the applicant before a criminal court in India; and clause (g), a warrant or summons for appearance or arrest issued by a court, or an order prohibiting departure from India. An adverse police report is evidence the authority considers; it is not itself one of these grounds.
Notification GSR 570(E), 25 August 1993
Exempts a person against whom criminal proceedings are pending from clause (f) if he produces an order from the court concerned permitting him to depart from India or to obtain a passport. The passport is issued for the period the court specifies; where the order is silent, the notification provides a default period, commonly applied as one year. The applicant also gives an undertaking to appear before the court when required.
Sections 10(3) and 11, Passports Act 1967
Section 10(3) allows an issued passport to be impounded or revoked, including where it was obtained by suppressing material information or where proceedings are pending before a criminal court. Section 11 provides an appeal to the appellate authority named in the Passports Rules 1980 against refusal and against impounding or revocation orders. The appeal must be filed within the time those Rules allow, generally thirty days from the order, so check the date on the order you receive.
How to get your passport cleared after an adverse report
Follow these in order. Most files are resolved at steps 2 to 4; the later steps are for cases that stay stuck.
Find out the exact reason
Visit the Regional Passport Office with your file number, appointment and documents, and ask at the enquiry or public grievance counter why the report is adverse. You can also raise a grievance on the Passport Seva portal or through CPGRAMS. If the reason is not disclosed, ask in writing for a statement of reasons, and consider an RTI application to the police for the verification report.
Answer the passport office in writing
If the RPO has sent a letter or show cause notice, reply within the time given, point by point, attaching documents. Keep the reply factual: proof of residence, explanation of the name mismatch, certified copies of court orders. Never argue that the police officer was rude or demanded money unless you can prove it; raise that separately.
Ask for re-verification where the problem is factual
For address and identity problems, request that the file be sent back to the police for fresh verification. When re-verification is ordered, be at home, keep original documents ready and give the officer a working phone number. If you are a tenant, have the landlord available or a notarised confirmation from him.
Clear the criminal record question
If the report is based on a name match, get a letter or report from the police station concerned showing you are not the accused, with the FIR particulars. If there is a case against you, collect certified copies of the FIR, chargesheet, order sheet and any order of acquittal, discharge, closure or quashing.
Get the trial court's permission if a case is pending
Apply to the court where the case is pending for permission to obtain a passport and travel, citing GSR 570(E). Courts usually grant it with conditions, such as an undertaking to appear on every date and a bond. Submit the certified order to the RPO.
Escalate if the file still does not move
Write to the Regional Passport Officer, and to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Branch) if the problem is a pending re-verification, with copies of everything submitted. If the RPO passes a refusal order, consider the Section 11 appeal within time.
Approach the High Court
If months pass with no decision, or the refusal rests on a ground the Act does not support, a writ petition can ask the court to direct a decision within a fixed time or to quash the refusal. The petition works best when steps 1 to 6 are documented.
Throughout, keep one folder with the file number, every receipt, every letter and every grievance number, in date order. Passport files often move between counters, and you will be asked for the same papers more than once.
Typical time and cost to clear an adverse report
| Stage | Typical time | Fees and expenses (general) |
|---|---|---|
| Finding the reason at the RPO or through grievance | 1 to 3 weeks | None beyond travel; RTI fee if used |
| Reply to RPO letter or show cause notice | Within the time stated in the letter | Copying and attestation |
| Re-verification by police | 2 to 8 weeks, varies by area and workload | No fee |
| Trial court permission under GSR 570(E) | 1 to 6 weeks, depending on the court's dates | Small court fee on the application; check current fee |
| Section 11 appeal against a refusal order | File within the period allowed (generally 30 days); decision in a few months | Prescribed appeal fee |
| Writ petition in the High Court | First hearing within days to weeks; disposal often in 1 to 6 months | Modest fixed court fee on a writ; check the current schedule |
Documents to gather
Passport file
- Application reference or file number and appointment receipt
- Screenshots of the status page showing the adverse or not clear report
- Any letter or show cause notice from the RPO, and your replies
- Grievance and CPGRAMS numbers with acknowledgements
Address and identity
- Aadhaar, electricity or water bill, bank passbook with address
- Rent agreement and landlord's confirmation, with tenant verification receipt from the police station if filed
- Proof of earlier address if you moved within the last year
- Documents explaining any name or date of birth mismatch, such as a gazette notification or school certificate
Criminal record, if any
- Certified copy of the FIR and chargesheet, or closure report
- Order sheet showing the present stage of the case
- Certified copy of any acquittal, discharge, quashing or compounding order
- Trial court order permitting you to obtain a passport, if a case is pending
- Police station letter confirming you are not the accused, in a name match case
When the problem is your address
Address failures are the easiest to fix and the most frustrating to experience. The officer usually visits during working hours, finds nobody home, and marks the report. Tenants are hit hardest, especially in areas like Laxmi Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar or Munirka where students and young professionals change flats every year. If you have lived at the address for less than a year, the form expects your previous address too, and verification may be needed at both.
When re-verification is ordered, take control of it. Call the local police station or the Special Branch office for your area, give your file number and ask when the officer will visit. Be home, have originals ready, and if you are a tenant, have the landlord available or a notarised confirmation and a copy of his ID. Delhi Police requires landlords to get tenants verified; if that has not been done, do it now, because it is often the first thing the officer asks for.
Advocate B.K. Singh's practical tip for working applicants is to give the passport office a phone number you will actually answer during office hours and to ask a family member to be home on the days around the expected visit. A surprising number of adverse reports come from two missed visits that a single phone call would have prevented.
When a criminal case is the reason
If the police report shows an FIR or a case against you, start by finding out exactly what it is and what stage it has reached. A name match is a factual error: get a letter from the police station that registered the FIR showing that the accused is a different person, with his father's name and address. Submit it to the RPO with a request for re-verification.
If the case is genuinely yours and is pending before a criminal court, Section 6(2)(f) applies and the passport office will not issue a passport without an order from that court. Apply to the trial court for permission, citing GSR 570(E). The court looks at the nature of the case, your record of attending dates and your roots in India; permission is usually granted with conditions. Our guide on passport refused because of a pending case explains this route in more detail, and if you need to travel during the case, see our guide on travelling abroad with a criminal case pending.
The position is less clear where an FIR is only under investigation and no court has yet taken cognizance. Clause (f) speaks of proceedings pending before a criminal court, and several High Court rulings have treated a bare FIR at the investigation stage differently from a case pending in court. The approach is not uniform across courts and facts matter, so check the current Delhi High Court position on your stage of the case before relying on it.
If the case has ended, in acquittal, discharge, closure accepted by the magistrate, compounding or quashing, there is no pending proceeding. Submit a certified copy of the final order. If the record still shows the case as pending because the police database was never updated, ask the police station in writing to update it and give you a letter. Where a false FIR is still pending, our page on quashing an FIR in the Delhi High Court explains when that remedy is available.
Disclosure: the mistake that turns a small problem into a big one
The passport application asks whether any criminal proceedings are pending against you and whether you have ever been convicted. Some applicants leave the answer at 'no' because the case seems minor, was compromised, or ended long ago. When the police check shows the case, the report turns adverse not because of the case itself but because of the non-disclosure. Suppression of material information is a ground for refusal and, after issue, for impounding under Section 10(3)(b), and a false statement can be an offence under Section 12.
If you have already made this mistake, do not compound it. In your reply to the RPO, admit the omission plainly, explain why it happened, and attach the full record of the case. Authorities and courts are generally more forgiving of an honest error corrected promptly than of an explanation that changes each time.
If you are applying now and a case ended in acquittal or was quashed, disclose it with the final order. Disclosure of a closed case rarely causes delay; hiding it almost always does.
A made-up example: the engineer with a common name
Here's a made-up example. Rahul, a software engineer renting a flat in Dwarka, applies for his first passport for an overseas posting. Three weeks later the status shows the police verification report as not clear. At the Regional Passport Office he learns that the record check found an FIR in a north Delhi police station against a man with the same name and a father's name that differs by one letter.
Rahul writes to the SHO of that police station with his Aadhaar, his father's documents and his address history, asking for a letter confirming he is not the accused. It takes two visits, but the station gives him a letter citing the FIR number and the accused's full particulars. He submits it to the RPO with a written request for re-verification, gets his landlord to sign a notarised confirmation, and files the tenant verification form his landlord had never filed.
The re-verification report comes back clear about five weeks later and the passport is dispatched soon after. No lawyer or court was needed. Had the RPO not acted on the letter within a reasonable time, or had it refused despite the police station's confirmation, a writ petition asking the High Court to direct a decision would have been the next step.
When and where to approach the High Court
A writ petition is the right remedy when the passport office does not decide at all, when it refuses without giving reasons, when it relies on a ground that Section 6(2) does not contain, or when it refuses to act on a valid order of the trial court. The usual relief is a direction to decide your application within a fixed period, or to issue the passport if the only objection has been removed. Our guide on the writ of mandamus explains how such directions are framed.
If the RPO has passed a refusal order that can be appealed under Section 11, the High Court generally expects you to file that appeal first. A writ is still entertained where there has been a breach of natural justice, such as refusal without notice or hearing, or where the authority acted without jurisdiction. Our guide on alternative remedies and why writs get dismissed explains the line.
The Delhi High Court is the forum when the Regional Passport Office in Delhi, or the Ministry of External Affairs, is the authority concerned. If your file is with a passport office outside Delhi, such as the Ghaziabad RPO, and the police report came from Uttar Pradesh or Haryana, the Allahabad or Punjab and Haryana High Court is ordinarily the forum, unless part of the cause of action arose in Delhi. Our page on passport refusal and impounding covers the firm's work on these petitions.
Advocate B.K. Singh's experience is that the High Court acts quickest on passport petitions where the applicant shows, document by document, that every factual objection in the police report has been answered and the RPO has still not moved. A petition that asks the court to sort out the facts for the first time usually gets a direction to the RPO to consider them, which takes longer.
Mistakes that keep a passport on hold
- Waiting for the system to fix itself. An adverse report rarely clears on its own. Until you supply clarification or request re-verification, the file usually stays where it is.
- Paying touts. Nobody outside the RPO and police can change a report for money, and paying someone can create a criminal problem of your own.
- Missing the officer twice. Re-verification can be marked adverse again if you are not reachable. Stay available.
- Filing an incomplete reply. Answering a show cause notice without the certified court orders invites a refusal on the existing record.
- Missing the appeal deadline. If a refusal order is passed, the Section 11 appeal has a time limit. Diarise it the day you receive the order.
- Going to court too early. A writ filed before you have asked the RPO for reasons or re-verification is likely to be disposed of with a direction to do just that.
What to do this week
Go to the passport office or raise a grievance to learn the exact reason for the adverse report. Collect the documents listed above for that reason only. If the issue is your address or a name match, submit your clarification and ask for re-verification in writing. If a case is pending, speak to your trial lawyer about an application under GSR 570(E).
If the file has been stuck for more than two to three months after you have done all of this, or the RPO has passed a refusal order, have a lawyer review the record for a Section 11 appeal or a writ petition. Our page on passport refused, impounded or not renewed explains how the firm handles these matters.
If you would like Advocate B.K. Singh to look at your passport papers and the police report, or want updates on how the Delhi High Court is deciding passport cases, contact Advocate B.K. Singh here.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to clear an adverse police verification?
For address or name match problems, a fresh report usually takes a few weeks to two months after the RPO orders re-verification. If a pending case is the reason, the time depends on how quickly the trial court decides your permission application. There is no fixed timeline.
Can I get a copy of my police verification report?
You can ask the RPO for a statement of reasons and apply under the RTI Act to the police for the report. Some information may be withheld under the RTI exemptions, but the gist of the adverse finding is usually disclosed so that you can answer it.
Will an old FIR that ended in acquittal stop my passport?
No, an acquittal means no proceedings are pending, so clause (f) does not apply. Disclose the case in your application and attach a certified copy of the acquittal judgment. If the police record has not been updated, ask the police station for a letter confirming the outcome.
My passport status says on hold after police verification. What should I do first?
Visit the Regional Passport Office or raise a grievance on the Passport Seva portal to find out the exact reason. Then supply the specific documents that answer it and ask in writing for re-verification if the problem is factual.
Can the police mark my report adverse because I am a tenant?
Being a tenant is not a ground for an adverse report. Problems arise when your residence cannot be confirmed, so keep a rent agreement, a landlord's confirmation and the tenant verification receipt ready, and be available when the officer visits.
Can I apply for a new passport at another address to avoid the adverse report?
No. The earlier application and police report remain on the system, and applying again with a different address to get around it can be treated as suppression. Resolve the existing file instead.
Does an FIR under investigation stop my passport?
The Act speaks of proceedings pending before a criminal court, and courts have not been uniform on how that applies at the investigation stage. In practice the RPO often waits for clarity. Get legal advice on the current Delhi High Court position for your stage of the case.
Can I file a writ for my passport if I live in Noida?
If your file is with the Ghaziabad RPO and the police report came from Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad High Court is ordinarily the forum. The Delhi High Court can hear it if part of the cause of action arose in Delhi, for example a decision taken by the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi.
Advocate B.K. Singh
Founder of B.K. Singh & Associates. MCA, LL.B., LL.M. More than twenty years in practice before the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court, Delhi district courts and tribunals. This guide was written and reviewed by his team.
This guide explains the law in general terms and is not legal advice. For advice on your own papers, contact the team.
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