Overview
- All newly issued and renewed passports are now chip‑embedded, with existing booklets valid until expiry and a full transition targeted by 2035.
- Indian missions have issued about 62,000 e‑passports since GPSP V2.0 went live globally on October 28, complementing nationwide operations.
- The e‑passport’s read‑only RFID chip stores digitally signed biometric and personal data, activates only on authorised readers, and can be locked after a theft report.
- Officials report roughly 50,000 issuances per day, shorter counter times, Aadhaar/DigiLocker integration, and three MEA‑owned data centres operated by TCS.
- Around 100 countries can read e‑passports for faster border checks, with the MEA currently absorbing higher production costs and fee changes to be considered if needed.