E-Passport India: The Government of India has started the roll out of e-passport equipped with advanced security features across the country. The new e-passport is considered to be much more advanced than the old passport in many respects. RF in this rfid Chip, encrypted biometrics and other security features have been added, which will speed up verification at the immigration counter and make fake passports almost impossible.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, all passports issued from now on will be e-passports. However, existing non-electronic passports will remain valid till their expiry. Whereas if you have made a new passport or renewed your passport on or after May 28, 2025, then your new passport will be an e-passport.

What is e-passport and how will it work?

The e-passport will be similar in appearance to the old passport, it will also have the same pages as the old passport, but there will be a small electronic chip embedded in its cover. In this chip, the passport holder’s name, photo, fingerprint and other personal details will be digitally protected. This chip can be read by the machine in one second at any airport in the world. The data present in it will have a digital signature, which cannot be changed.

Fraud will be curbed

If a person makes a fake passport, the machine will catch it immediately. Whereas all the information is written in the current passport. At the same time, the immigration process with the current passports also takes a lot of time. Whereas with new passports this process will become easier. Currently, one has to stand in long queues during passport checking, but now after the introduction of e-passport, the time of standing in long queues will be less and the entry and exit of passengers will be even easier.

What will happen to those with old passports?

Due to the news of the release of new e-passport, many people have a doubt as to what to do with the old passport now. Regarding this, the government has clearly said that the old passport will still be fully valid. When its validity ends. You will get the e-passport only when you go to renew it yourself. The government has also made it clear that there is no need to replace the old passport immediately. Earlier the facility of e-passport was started in some cities of the country, but now it is being implemented in the entire country. In the coming months, only e-passports will be issued from every passport office. The government is completing this work rapidly so that people do not face any kind of problem.

How many e-passports have been issued so far?

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, so far 80 lakh e-passports have been issued in India and more than 60 thousand e-passports have been issued by Indian missions abroad. Along with this, the Ministry is opening Passport Seva Kendra in every Lok Sabha constituency of the country. Till now 511 centers have been opened and preparations are being made to open these centers in the remaining 32 Lok Sabha constituencies soon. Under the Passport Seva Program version 2.0, launched in May 2025, 37 Regional Passport Offices, 93 Passport Seva Kendras and 451 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras are working. its global version GPSP V2.0 28 Launched in October 2025. This new system will come with integration with AI chat bots, voice bot, DigiLocker, Aadhaar and PEN. Which will make document verification easier.

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