The external affairs ministry has started a service of sending two text messages to passport holders, nine and seven months before the expiry of passports.

Many forget to renew their passports on time and often miss the opportunity to travel abroad because a person cannot travel abroad unless his/her passport has a minimum validity of six months.

“We have come across hundreds of such cases where passport holders forgot that they cannot travel even if they have a valid passport unless it has a validity of six months,” a senior official at the passport office in Calcutta said.

“People usually wait for their passports to expire thinking they have time.”

But problem starts when someone needs to travel abroad in an emergency.

“Suddenly an opportunity comes and they realise the validity of their passport is less than six months,” the official said.

The text messages to be sent to all passport holders will read: “Dear Passport Holder, Your Passport Kxxxx949 will expire on such and such date. Apply reissue at www.passportindia.gov.in or on mPassport Seva App. Please ignore, if applied.”

Officials at the passport office said the rules for renewing a passport six months before its expiry are similar to renewal rules of an expired passport.

Police verification is not needed in cases of reissue up to three years from the date of expiry unless there is any “adverse report” against a passport holder.