India rolls out chip-based e-Passports

To enhance identification and security, the Indian e-passport has been introduced, combining cutting-edge electronic passport technology with conventional paper passports as reported by the Ministry of External Affairs. The rollout of the e-passport initiative has begun as part of a pilot program alongside the Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Version 2.0. The regional Passport Offices in Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Jammu, Goa, Shimla, Raipur, Amritsar, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Surat, and Ranchi are presently equipped to issue e-passports.

e-passport issuing in Tamil Nadu began on March 3, 2025, at Chennai's Regional Passport Office. Up to March 22, 2025, 20,729 e-passports had already been issued within the state. The Ministry of External Affairs has validated that this is only the first phase of the nationwide launch, expected to be rolled out to all Passport Seva Kendras throughout India by mid-2025.

The Indian e-Passports contain an antenna as well as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip embedded within an inlay; this will make it quite identifiable as different from ordinary passports because of a gold-colored symbol that is printed below the front cover.

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a vital building block that facilitates the development of a solid infrastructure for an e-passport, secures private information, and authenticates the correctness and authenticity of the biometric and personal data saved on the chip.