A Germany-based Indian national has drawn attention on social media to the differences in administrative timelines between India and Germany after sharing details of his recent passport renewal experience.
In a post on X, the user said he recently renewed his Indian passport along with his German residence permit, which is linked to the passport. He described India’s ability to manage large-scale logistics as “deeply impressive”.
According to the post, it took around 30 days to secure an appointment at the Indian Embassy in Berlin. After submitting the required documents, the user said it took nearly six weeks to receive the new passport.
Passport process involved coordination between India and Germany
The user noted that the process involved coordination with the passport office in Kolkata and local police authorities, who physically verified the address of his permanent residence in the city.
He further stated that Indian passports are printed in India and later transported to embassies worldwide, adding that the entire cross-border process involving physical document movement was completed within six weeks.
In comparison, the user said it took him six weeks merely to obtain an appointment at Berlin’s Foreigner’s Office, or Ausländerbehörde. He added that the printing of the new residence card alone was expected to take around eight weeks despite the process being handled within the same city.
Deepak Shenoy shares his experience
Market veteran Deepak Shenoy, CEO Capitalmind, responded to the post and said he had renewed his passport within four days while living in India, even without using the Tatkal service.
Calling the turnaround “very impressive for this scale”, Shenoy contrasted his experience with the timelines mentioned in Berlin.
The original user later replied that the Tatkal option was not available in Germany.
User reflects on India’s administrative scale
The Germany-based Indian concluded the post by saying that while many systems may not function perfectly, he remained impressed by the scale and complexity of India’s democracy and administrative machinery, noting that it continues to function despite its vastness.
