(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

Over 80 lakh e-passports have been issued in India since May 2025, when the country fully switched to the next-generation chipped passports under Passport Seva Programme Version 2.0, a senior official said on Monday.

MEA official said, "Every citizen who is applying for a new passport or renewal will now receive an e-passport. Since 28 May 2025, all passports issued in India are e-passports."

E-Passport Technology and Enhanced Security

The e-passport contains an RFID chip embedded in the last page with a smart card memory and an indigenously designed operating system. The chip stores demographic and biometric data in read-only format and has undergone composite certification as per international standards.

"Version 2.0 compares live biometric data of the applicant with the data already available in the system, making impersonation and fraud almost impossible," the official added.

The upgraded system, fully integrated with Aadhaar and DigiLocker, has seven layers of security controls and three spatially distributed data centres in Noida, Chennai and Bengaluru to ensure zero downtime.

Officials said the new system has drastically reduced the burden of documentation and the chances of fraudulently acquired passports.

"The chip cannot be tracked; it activates only when machine-read at immigration counters," an official clarified.

Issuance, Global Acceptance, and Transition

An additional 62,000 have been issued from Indian missions and posts abroad. On average, 50,000 passports are issued daily, with processing time at counters reduced from 45 minutes to 30 minutes.

More than 100 countries currently have the capability to read e-passports, enabling faster and smoother immigration for Indian travellers.

ICAO guidelines allow non-chipped passports to remain valid till expiry, and India has set 2035 as the target year by which all Indian passports in circulation will be chipped.

"Up to 2035, all existing ordinary passports will continue to be accepted. There is no need for premature replacement," the official said.

New Initiatives and Programme Management

Citizens will now receive SMS alerts eight months before their passport expires. The Trusted Traveller Programme is also being expanded to reward frequent and genuine travellers with faster clearance.

All assets under PSP V2.0, including hardware and data, are owned by the Ministry of External Affairs, while TCS operates the front-end and data centres under a master service agreement.

The number of Passport Seva Kendras has grown from 77 to 453 in the last 11 years, bringing services closer to citizens across the country.

Officials said the cost of producing e-passports has increased, but the ministry is currently absorbing the additional expenditure and will examine a fee revision only when required.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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