A passport is primarily a travel document and should not be treated as proof of citizenship, a senior Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official said on Wednesday, as the government highlighted the rapid expansion of passport services across the country on the occasion of the 14th Passport Seva Divas.The official said India delivered 1.5 crore passport and related services in 2025, including 1.39 crore passports, reflecting growing demand and improved service delivery. The average processing time for passports now stands at six working days, excluding police verification, while applicants spend less than 45 minutes at Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs).The passport service network has expanded significantly over the past decade, with the number of passport centres rising to 545 from just 77 ten years ago, marking a six-fold increase. The government opened 10 POPSKs last year and plans to add another 10 this year.The official also pointed to greater travel access for Indian citizens. The number of countries offering visa-free entry to Indians has increased to 27 from 16 in 2019. In addition, 47 countries provide visa-on-arrival facilities, while 66 offer e-visas.Mobility agreements signed by India, largely with European countries, are helping ease the movement of students, academics, apprentices, tourists and business travellers. These arrangements also create mechanisms for the return of illegal migrants.Marking Passport Seva Divas, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the government's passport services have become more efficient, transparent and citizen-centric, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "Minimum Government, Maximum Governance".Jaishankar said the MEA has successfully rolled out the upgraded Passport Seva Programme (PSP V2. 0) across India and implemented the Global Passport Seva Programme (GPSP V2. 0) at Indian missions abroad to better serve the diaspora.He also highlighted the introduction of chip-enabled e-passports, saying the new passports conform to international standards and strengthen security and authentication features.(With inputs from ANI)