Ministry of External Affairs Recruitment 2025 : Filling of Section Officer Posts in Regional Passport Offices
Overview
The Ministry of External Affairs (PSP Division) has issued a circular for the appointment of 102 Section Officers or equivalent positions on a deputation basis in 34 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) across India. Each RPO will have 3 officers. The initial deputation period is two years and can be extended as per DoP&T rules.1
Key Details
Position
- Post Name: Section Officer or equivalent rank/designation
- Pay Level: Level 8 or 10 of the Pay Matrix.
- Number of Posts: 102
- Location: 34 Regional Passport Offices across India.
- Job Description: To work in any of the 34 Regional Passport Offices across India.
Deputation Period
- Initially for two years, extendable as per DoP&T rules.
- It is mandatory to serve the deputation term, and premature relieving will not be considered except in rare or exceptional circumstances.
Age Limit
- The maximum age limit for appointment on deputation is 56 years as of March 1, 2025.
Pay & Allowances
- Admissible as per guidelines of Department of Personnel and Training’s O.M. No. 6/8/2009-Estt. (Pay II) dated June 17, 2010, and subsequent amendments.
Travel
- Selected officers may be required to travel within India.
Eligibility Criteria
Essential Criteria
Officers working in the following services holding analogous posts in Level 8 or Level 10 of the Pay Matrix on a regular basis are eligible:
- Central Secretariat Service (CSS)
- Armed Forces Headquarters (AFHQ)
- Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
- Railway Board Secretariat Service (RBSS)
- Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation
Desirable Criteria
- Good managerial and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to liaise effectively with other organizations/Ministries/departments/think tanks.
- Good noting and drafting skills and communication abilities.
- Previous experience as a Section Officer in Ministries/departments/attached/subordinate offices in the Government of India.
- Previous experience handling issues related to administration, policy, court cases, RTI, finance, audit, and public dealing in the Government of India.
How to Apply
Application Submission
- Completed applications in the prescribed pro-forma (Annexure-I) should be sent through proper channel to Section Officer (PSP-Cadre), PSP Division, MEA, Room No. 26, Patiala House, New Delhi.
- An advance copy of applications may be emailed to sopspcadre@mea.gov.in. However, only complete applications forwarded through the proper channel will be considered.
Required Documents
The duly completed application must be sent along with:
- Up-to-date copies of ACRS/APARS for the last five years, attested on each page by a Group A Officer/HOD.
- Cadre Clearance.
- Vigilance Clearance.
- Details of minor/major penalties imposed on the officer by the Competent Authority for the last 10 years, if any.
- Statement of Bio-data in the prescribed pro-forma (Annexure-I) in duplicate, signed by the volunteering officer and forwarded through the proper channel with a duly signed & stamped forwarding letter from the parent department.
Application Pro-forma (Annexure-I) requires the following details:
- Name & Designation
- Date of Birth
- Gender
- Educational Qualifications
- Mobile No.
- E-mail ID
- Service/Batch
- Details of employment in chronological order
- Details of current employment
- Present Basic Pay, Pay Scale & Grade Pay (Level & Cell)
- Details of courses/training programmes attended, if any
- Details of publication, if any
- Language known
- Details of previous ex-cadre deputation, if any
- Preferences of RPOs (3 stations)
- Additional information supporting suitability for the post
- Remarks
- Signature of candidate and address
- Date
- Certification by Head of Department regarding particulars, disciplinary cases, penalties, and integrity
Important Dates
- Application Deadline: Latest by August 31, 2025.2
Selection Process
- The Ministry will try to post officers to RPOs based on their preferences, subject to vacancies and administrative exigency.
- Officers are liable to serve in any of the 34 RPOs, as the post carries an All India Service Liability.
- In the event of selection, the officer must be relieved on an immediate basis.
Regional Passport Offices
Annexure-II provides a list of the 34 Regional Passport Offices:
- Ahmedabad
- Amritsar
- Bengaluru
- Bareilly
- Bhopal
- Bhubaneswar
- Chennai
- Cochin
- Coimbatore
- Dehradun
- Delhi
- Guwahati
- Hyderabad
- Jalandhar
- Jammu
- Kolkata
- Kota
- Kozhikode
- Lucknow
- Madurai
- Mumbai
- Nagpur
- Panaji
- Patna
- Pune
- Raipur
- Ranchi
- Shimla
- Srinagar
- Surat
- Trichy
- Trivandrum
- Vijayawada
- Vishakhapatnam
Reference and Notification Links
- https://www.mea.gov.in/Images/CPV/SOs-on-deputation-circular.pdf ↩︎
- https://www.mea.gov.in/vacancies.htm ↩︎
Disclaimer
The information provided here is based on official notifications and announcements and it is for general information purposes only. These information should not be construed as official notifications. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, human errors may occur. Readers / Candidates are strongly advised to verify details from the respective official sources. We strongly recommend that you check the full texts of the official notifications and announcements issued by the Government Organisations, Institutions, Companies etc. while applying for jobs and before taking decisions of not to apply for any job vacancy/ies. We cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies.
