India is currently focused on achieving global dominance, with initiatives like ‘Made In India’ and various development projects aimed at progress. In a significant advancement, India is all set to introduce e-passports. The rollout is taking place in 13 cities during the initial phase of this next-generation passport initiative.
On May 13, Tuesday, the first phase of e-passports was officially launched, merging cutting-edge electronic technology with the traditional paper passport format to improve identity verification and enhance travel document security. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that this project commenced as a pilot under the Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Version 2.0. This began in April 2024.
The MEA announced that this marks the initial step towards a nationwide implementation, projected to extend to all Passport Seva Kendras across India by mid-2025. Currently, e-passports are being issued in Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Jammu, Goa, Shimla, Raipur, Amritsar, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Surat, Ranchi, and Delhi. Tamil Nadu started e-passport issuance on March 3, 2025, with 20,729 passports issued by March 22, 2025.
What Are The Features Of E-Passports
E-passports are unique and different from regular passports. They have a gold symbol printed on the front cover. Inside, they contain a small chip and an antenna that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. This technology includes a system called Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). It helps keep personal and biometric information safe and ensures it is correct.
The government pointed out that one of the main benefits of e-passports is their better protection of data. This technology helps to keep the holder’s information secure, making it much harder to alter or forge identities. It also helps tackle the issue of counterfeit passports, which has been a problem at international borders.
While the launch of e-passports is a big improvement in how passports are made, the MEA has stated that getting an e-passport isn’t required. All currently issued passports from the Government of India will stay valid until their expiration dates.
