India rolls out RFID-enabled e-passports
New Delhi: The government has successfully rolled out its next-generation electronic passport system, the e-passport, marking a significant advancement in document security and citizen service efficiency. This major upgrade combines both traditional paper documentation with advanced electronic elements, specifically designed to counter forgery, impersonation, and other fraudulent acts.
The introduction of the e-passport is part of a broader systemic overhaul by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of its flagship Passport Seva Programme (PSP), now designated PSP V2.0, which includes the Global Passport Seva Programme (GPSP V2.0) for citizens residing abroad. The MEA stated this new launch marks “another significant milestone” for the ministry.
At the core of the e-passport is an embedded Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip and an antenna. This mechanism stores and secures the holder’s critical information in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. Officials confirmed that the passport’s critical data is now printed on the data page as well as stored electronically within the chip, making the document substantially harder to forge. The photo used in the e-passport is also compliant with ICAO standards.
Pilot testing for the new e-passport began in 2024 at the Regional Passport Offices in Bhubaneswar and Nagpur. Following the successful initial phase and requisite certifications, the rollout was systematically expanded to the remaining Regional Passport Offices across India, reaching completion in May 2025.
Issuance of the new documents is already well underway. According to a senior MEA official on Tuesday, “Around 80 lakh e-passports have been issued in India to date since the beginning of the rollout. And around 62,000 e-passports, to date, have been issued through Indian missions and posts abroad since June 2025.”
The new system incorporates crucial security protocols throughout the entire life cycle of the passport. The data stored in the chip is “read-only”, accessed only when the document is tapped on an official platform during the immigration process at an airport. Furthermore, the authorities have built-in safeguards for lost or stolen documents.
“This data cannot be retrieved by anyone else, in case a person’s e-passport gets lost or stolen by someone,” a senior official explained. “And in case of theft, once a police complaint has been filed, the entire data on the chip can be locked by authorities.”
During the application process itself, the embedded data is matched with pre-stored biometric data as part of what officials term a “major upgrade” using modern technology. The official detailed the security logic: “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 fraudulent acts.”
The technology upgrade extends beyond the physical document. PSP Version 2.0 is designed to establish a digitally integrated ecosystem connecting all stakeholders involved in passport services, prioritising efficiency, transparency, and user convenience. Citizens can now receive assistance with applications and grievance redressal through AI-powered chat and voice bots. The revamped passport website and mobile application offer users an improved experience via features like auto-filled forms, simplified document uploads, and convenient online payments using UPI or QR codes.
The domestic implementation of PSP V2.0 was successfully completed across all 37 Passport Offices in India, along with their respective 93 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and 451 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) on May 26, 2025. This was followed by the launch of GPSP V2.0 across the 202 Indian embassies and consulates worldwide on October 28.
Addressing the validity of existing documents, the MEA confirmed that “Going forward, all newly issued passports will be e-passports, while existing non-electronic passports will remain valid until their expiry.” A senior official added that old legacy passports that have not yet expired will remain valid until 2035 or their specific expiry date. The e-passport carries a specific international symbol, and nearly 100 countries have the necessary facilities to read the chip data in their immigration systems. For countries lacking this technology, the machine-readable data printed on the e-passport page remains readable by airport systems. Supporting this entire infrastructure are three central government-owned data centres located in Noida, Chennai, and Bengaluru, protected by a seven-layer security control architecture designed to prevent hacking attempts and other disruptions.
