Passport Seva 2.0: Earlier this year India started giving e-Passports to citizens. The government also improved the Passport Seva Program 2.0 (PSP 2.0), making passports safer and easier to get. The new passports use technology to keep personal and biometric details safe and to help travelers move faster at airports.
What is an e-Passport?
An e-Passport is a normal paper passport but with a small electronic chip inside. The chip holds your personal information, fingerprints, and a digital photo. On the front cover, a tiny gold symbol shows it is an e-Passport, so you can tell it apart from a normal passport.
ITR Due Date Extension 2025: What Taxpayers Need to Know About Penalties and Grace Period
The main benefit is safety. The passport stores information both on paper and in the chip. Immigration officers can check it securely anywhere in the world. This makes it very hard for people to make fake passports.
The chip uses something called Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) that protects personal data and proves it is real. e-Passports follow rules from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), so countries worldwide accept them. They also help people pass through airports faster, especially at automated e-gates.
How to Apply for an e-Passport
To get an e-Passport, Indian citizens can go to the Passport Seva website. They need to log in or make an account, fill the application, choose a nearby Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office PSK, pay the fees, and schedule an appointment. You have to show proof of identity, address, and birth date, and give fingerprints and a photo in person.
At first, only some cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Surat, Nagpur, Goa, Jammu, Shimla, Raipur, Amritsar, Jaipur, Ranchi, and Delhi had e-Passports. Now, starting June 2025, the government said PSP 2.0 and e-Passports will be available across India.
CBDT’s 2030 Tax Relief: How Retail Investors can Benefit Indirectly? Check Key Investor Insights
It is not required for current passport holders to switch to an e-Passport. The official site says, “All Passports issued by Govt of India will continue to remain valid till their validity expiry date. As and when a respective Passport Office is technically enabled for issuance of ePassport, the citizens applying under that passport office will get the ePassport. The phase wise roll out of ePassport covering all Passport Offices across India may take a few months.”
