Bengaluru issues Karnataka's first gender-revised passport of 2023

BENGALURU: It was an emotional moment for a 25-year-old from Bagalur, when she recently received her renewed passport. Reason: The gender column that had beamed M (male) was finally changed to F (female). The passport applicant incidentally became the recipient of the first gender-corrected passport for 2023 in Karnataka, issued by the Regional Passport Office in Bengaluru.
Sources with passport office in Koramangala said the applicant, who was holding a passport as a male that was valid for a few more years, submitted an application for a fresh passport in February-end, requesting the gender be corrected to 'female'. After getting an appointment for passport interview, the youngster appeared at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) on Lalbagh Road.
With gender correction on passport considered a special case, officials at the Lalbagh Road office directed the applicant to the office of the Regional Passport Officer (RPO), Koramangala.
"The applicant remained anxious about the process but our officials made her feel at ease and assisted with all formalities. Her documents, including medical records pertaining to gender-correction surgery from a hospital in Coimbatore, were examined and she was sent home with an assurance of a positive outcome," said Krishna K, IFS, RPO, Bengaluru.
A graduate working with a private firm in the city, the youth had undergone vaginoplasty in June 2021, changing from man to woman. A travel aspirant, she decided to get her gender corrected in the blue book after the pandemic and in February 2023, lodged an online application through the official Passport Seva portal of the ministry of external affairs (MEA).
Following procedures at the Koramangala passport office, the case was sent for police verification to the jurisdictional station. "Clearance was completed within a few days, with the police department issuing a note to us mentioning that she had undergone surgical procedures for sex change and had no criminal cases against her. We issued the passport with the change to 'female' on March 16. The applicant was very happy to promptly receive the revised passport," said Krishna.