Key Points
- All newly issued Indian passports from November 2025 will be e-passports with embedded RFID chips storing encrypted biometric data
- Government targets complete transition to e-passports by June 2035, with existing non-electronic passports remaining valid until expiry
- Over 8 million e-passports issued domestically and 60,000+ through Indian missions abroad as of November 2025
- Passport Seva Programme 2.0 launched in May 2025 with AI chatbots, DigiLocker integration, and UPI payments across 37 RPOs, 93 PSKs, and 451 POPSKs
- RFID technology enables contactless verification at immigration counters, reducing processing time and aligning India with 120+ countries using biometric passports
New Delhi: The Indian government has upgraded the passport system and begun rolling out the next-generation e-passport across the country, marking a significant leap in travel document security and efficiency. This new passport comes with advanced technology and high-level security features, including interlocking microletters, relief tints, and an embedded RFID chip that securely stores encrypted biometric data and other essential information. According to senior Ministry of External Affairs officials, all newly issued passports from November 2025 onwards will immediately be e-passports, while existing non-electronic passports will remain valid until their expiry date.
The government has set an ambitious target for a full transition to e-passports by June 2035, ensuring all Indian citizens eventually possess chip-enabled travel documents. With this development, India joins over 120 countries, including the United States, Canada, France, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom, that have already adopted biometric e-passports in alignment with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. The e-passport is visually identifiable by a small additional gold-colored symbol printed below the Ashoka emblem on the front cover of the passport booklet.
RFID Chip and Contactless Verification Enhance Security Levels
The new e-passport features a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip and antenna embedded as an inlay in the back cover of the passport booklet, which stores the user’s photograph, fingerprint, and comprehensive biometric information in encrypted form. The RFID chip securely stores the passport holder’s personal details, demographic information, and facial biometric data, all protected through globally recognized encryption protocols such as Basic Access Control (BAC), Passive Authentication (PA), and Extended Access Control (EAC), ensuring a high level of security.
Contactless data-reading technology enables faster and more reliable identity verification at immigration counters, making the clearance process smoother than ever before. According to officials, these high-tech features will significantly reduce fraud, passport tampering, wear-and-tear from physical handling, and the issuance of duplicate passports. The Ministry of External Affairs has so far issued over 8 million (80 lakh) e-passports domestically and over 60,000 e-passports through Indian missions abroad as of November 2025.
Biometric Authentication Prevents Fraud and Duplicate Passports
A senior Ministry of External Affairs official emphasized that the new system will be extremely effective in preventing passport fraud and eliminating cases of individuals holding multiple passports. The revamped system verifies an applicant’s biometric data, including fingerprints and facial features, against a central server during the application process, immediately flagging any existing passport in the applicant’s name. This ensures that a person can have only one valid passport in their name, significantly eliminating security risks associated with identity fraud and impersonation.
The encrypted chip embedded in each e-passport allows immigration systems to verify a traveller’s identity by matching stored biometrics with live data from centralized databases, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access and impersonation. These cryptographic protections using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) digital signatures make the document far more resistant to tampering, forgery, impersonation, and duplication, which have remained longstanding vulnerabilities in traditional passport security.
Improved Service Experience with PSP V2.0 and GPSP V2.0
Under the Passport Seva Programme Version 2.0 (PSP V2.0), which was launched in May 2025, 37 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs), 93 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs), and 451 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) are currently operational across India. The global version of the programme, GPSP V2.0, was officially launched on October 28, 2025, with the aim of providing faster and better passport services to Indian nationals living abroad through Indian missions and embassies.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced the major updates to the Passport Seva Programme on June 24, 2025, highlighting that PSP Version 2.0 is now operational nationwide with enhanced digital infrastructure. The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi became one of the first Indian missions to implement GPSP 2.0, announcing that all Indian nationals in the UAE would receive e-passports with embedded chips beginning October 28, 2025. This marks a major technological advancement in passport services for the Indian expatriate community worldwide.
AI Chatbot and DigiLocker Integration Simplifies Application Process
The new passport system comes with comprehensive AI-driven assistance, including an AI chatbot and voice bot application for real-time support during the application process and grievance redressal. The revamped system offers advanced features such as auto-filled forms based on previously submitted data, simplified online document uploads, and UPI and QR-code-based payment options for application fees.
The system is seamlessly integrated with DigiLocker, Aadhaar, and PAN databases for automated document verification, making the process more transparent, faster, and secure while reducing the need for physical document submission. Advanced biometric and facial recognition systems, AI-based alerts, and data analytics further strengthen security and operational efficiency throughout the passport issuance process.
Advanced Infrastructure and Security Protocols
Additional technological features include Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for automated document validation, touchscreen feedback systems at passport centers, electronic signature pads for digital signatures, and real-time Management Information System (MIS) dashboards for tracking applications. A National Call Centre operating in 17 languages provides comprehensive citizen support for passport-related queries and assistance.
Three state-of-the-art data centres located in Noida, Chennai, and Bengaluru anchor the upgraded digital infrastructure, ensuring robust cybersecurity, data protection, and advanced threat management capabilities. These facilities ensure redundancy and uninterrupted service delivery across the nationwide passport network.
Global Standards Compliance and Faster Immigration Clearance
The e-passport fully complies with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, ensuring universal recognition and seamless interoperability across airports worldwide. This compliance is increasingly important as airports globally adopt automated border control systems and biometric e-gates for streamlined passenger processing. With the new chip-enabled document, Indian travellers can expect quicker and smoother immigration checks at international airports.
Officials have compared this technological transformation to moving from “3G to 5G” networks, emphasizing that it represents a quantum leap in efficiency, sophistication, and security for Indian travel documents. E-passport holders will benefit from expedited immigration procedures, as the RFID chip can be read contactlessly by placing the passport on touchscreen readers at automated gates, which will open automatically upon successful verification. Immigration officers will no longer need to manually verify every detail, significantly reducing processing time at border checkpoints.
Privacy Enhancements and Color-Coded System
In a significant move to safeguard privacy and prevent misuse of personal information, the central government has removed residential addresses from the last page of passports. This space now features a computer-readable barcode, enabling immigration authorities to scan and verify credentials more securely without exposing sensitive residential information. This enhancement benefits both individuals and businesses by minimizing risks associated with identity theft and data misuse.
To simplify identification and streamline international processes, Indian passports continue to follow a color-coded system where white passports are issued to government representatives and officials, red passports to diplomats and ambassadors, and blue passports to ordinary Indian citizens. This standardized color scheme helps international immigration authorities quickly identify the type of passport and the status of the holder.
