India has recently started a major upgrade to its passport system by introducing e-passports for all citizens. These new passports are designed to keep personal data safer and protect people from identity theft. Since May 2025, every new passport printed in India or issued at Indian consulates abroad has been an e-passport. This means the passport includes a small, contactless RFID chip, similar to the chips used in modern ID cards and bank cards.

So far, around 80 lakh (8 million) e-passports have been issued within India. Indian missions in other countries have also given out more than 62,000 of these new passports to citizens living abroad. The government says this is a major step toward improving security and making travel documents more reliable.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the RFID chip stores important information about the passport holder in a digital format. Because the data is encrypted, it is extremely difficult to tamper with or copy. This makes the e-passport harder to forge compared to traditional paper passports. The chip can be scanned quickly at airports, which may also make immigration checks faster and smoother in the future.

Some people have raised concerns about privacy and data safety. However, MEA officials have strongly denied these worries. They say that the data stored on the chip is secure and protected. The system used to manage and print e-passports is operated by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), but the MEA has made it clear that it owns all the data and the full technology infrastructure. This means the private company cannot access or misuse any personal information.

The government has also said that old paper passports will remain valid until 2035, so people do not need to rush to replace their existing passports. However, anyone applying for a new passport or renewing an old one will now automatically receive an e-passport.

For many Indians, this means their next passport will look the same from the outside but will contain advanced technology inside. Officials believe this upgrade makes India's passport system more secure and modern. It also brings India closer to the standards used in many developed countries where e-passports have been used for years.