- I Paid A Bribe
- 14 years ago
- 181 views
Indian Customs Bribe for exit stamp
- Customs, Excise and Service Tax
- Customs Check and Clearance
- Paid INR 2,500
My Passport has soiled Photograph due to the age of the passport and multiple entries travelling overseas.
When I was at Hyderabad - gave a call to passport office to find the process and information to correct the passport and was told that I do not need to submit until 1 yr to 6 months before passport expiry or lost passport. Did specifically mentioned the problem of the photograph, and got the same answer.
On the day of the travelling overseas, when I submitted my passport to customs officials at Hyderabad Begumpet Airport - I was holded up based on soiled photograph on the passport. I did mentioned specifically of my call to passport office and showed all my ids including driving license, voter card, PAN card as a proof. The officer advised that he cannot do the exit stamp and forwarded me to another customs officer.
I was surprised when other customs officer asked me $50 to get stamped. Showed all proper documentation and then was told to stand away from queue and given two options - get a new passport or pay up. In the confused state of what to do - time ran out and I had the flight boarding in 1hr.
Finally, decided to pay up $60 and move on with my life. Later immediately replaced my passport for renewal.