The government has issued over 80 lakh e-passports, a hybrid passport that combines both paper and electronic elements, in the last six months under the upgraded Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Version 2.0, as reported by PTI.
The government has also set 2035 as the target by which all Indian passports in circulation will be chipped.
What is an e-passport?
E-passports feature an e-chip embedded under the Ashoka Pillar on the cover, which contains all the information about the passport holder. Passports issued or renewed on or after May 28, 2025, will be an e-passport.
How are e-passports more secure?
The new e-passports store and secure the holder’s data in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization standards, PTI reported quoting officials.
E-passports will not only prevent the use of fake passports and misuse of documents but will also reduce the time taken during immigration at airports.
Critical information about the passport holder is printed both on its data page as well as stored in the chip, thus making it harder to forge, officials further said.
The data stored in the chip of an e-passport is ‘read-only’ and gets accessed by the system when it is tapped on a platform used during the immigration process at an airport.
What happens if one loses their e-passport?
Dara stored in a person’s e-passport cannot be retrieved by anyone else. According to a senior official, in case of theft, once a police complaint is filed, the entire data on the chip can be locked by authorities.
In fact, the embedded data is matched with the pre-stored biometric data of a person when they apply for a passport, the official said, calling the move a “major upgrade” in the passport application process.
“So, if someone tries to forge a passport or attempts to impersonate someone or get a passport issued in someone else’s name, the new system will first alert if a passport with that name and demographic data already exists, and then compare and match the data furnished by an applicant with stored biometric data, and alert in case someone attempts fraudulence acts,” the official added.
AI push to help citizens with passport-related grievances
With AI-powered chat and voice bots, citizens can get help while filling out applications or when they have passport-related grievances.
The new and improved passport website and mobile app give users a better experience through features like auto-filled forms, simpler document uploads, and easy online payments using UPI or QR codes, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
PSP V2.0 was successfully implemented across all 37 Passport Offices in India, along with their respective 93 Passport Seva Kendras and 451 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras on May 26, 2025. |
