India Introduced Biometric e-Passports in 13 Cities: Is Your City on the List?

Finally, after all these years of dawdling and dallying, India has issued biometric e-passports in 13 cities, marking a significant milestone in the country’s travel document technology. Indian passport holders are now free to enjoy the luxury of secure authentication, immigration convenience, and world-travelling interoperability, bringing the country up to the world average.

But what on earth is this biometric e-passport gadget, and how does it differ from your great-granddaddy’s passport? And which cities are already rolling them out? Let us give you everything you’d ever care to know, FAQs, of course, to read through and see if your city is on the electronic cutting edge here.

What Is a Biometric e-Passport?

An e-passport, or electronic passport, is a standard passport booklet with an electronic microprocessor chip embedded inside. Useful information like:

• Name, DOB, passport number (personal info)
• The chip stores the digital issuer’s signature, face scan, fingerprint (biometric information), and the Digital Issuer’s fingerprint. It is ICAO-compliant, i.e., machine-readable, and linked to global immigration systems.

The long-term goal is to secure, facilitate, and accelerate cross-border travel through anti-identity fraud protection and self-service border control.

Which Cities Rolled Out e-Passports?

Indian External Affairs Ministry (MEA) under the Passport Seva Programme 2.0 plans to roll out 13 e-passports by 2025 in the following cities. Below is the List as per the announcement in an official notification:

1. Delhi
2. Chennai
3. Hyderabad
4. Jaipur
5. Nagpur
6. Amritsar
7. Goa
8. Bhubaneswar
9. Jammu
10. Shimla
11. Raipur
12. Surat
13. Ranchi. These have been chosen based on passport usage and infrastructural readiness. If your city is not included in the above List, don’t worry. MEA has suggested a phase-wise rollout from 2026 to all of India.

What’s so special about an e-Passport?

Come, let us have a look at why an e-passport is a bit special compared to a regular passport:

Feature	Traditional Passport	Biometric e-Passport
Security Features	Basic watermarking	RFID chip, biometric information
Identity Verification	Fingerprint verification	Biometric + machine-readable
Fraud Resistance	Moderate	High
Immigration Clearance	Slower	Faster at e-gates
International Use	Accepted, less efficient	ICAO-compliant, more accepted
Most importantly, a series of innovations includes the incorporation of biometrics with chips, which provides identity with multiple layers of security and allows for simplified clearance across the globe’s airports.

Link to Why Is India Issuing Biometric e-Passports?

There are plenty of good reasons why the nation is forced to employ biometric e-passports:

 Increased Security

The RFID chip is tamper-evident and holds encrypted biometric data. Stolen passport data can’t be easily read or replicated.

 Faster Immigration Clearance

The computer reads your face or fingerprint when the e-gate is used in the airport. The queue and waiting time can be absolutely zero.

Universal Acceptance

• Passport adoption is already underway in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. With India included, seamless travel and compliance with international standards are now a reality.

Digital India Vision Implementation

The Government of India envisions a future with digitally empowered citizens who live without paper, fraud, and inefficiency.

Biometric e-Passport Application

Application for an e-passport is the same as that of any regular passport, except data capture:

Step-by-Step Guide: Application

1. Passport Seva Portal Registration
   1. Go to passportindia.gov.in and register.

• Online Application Form
• Click on “Fresh” or “Renewal” based on your case.
• Select the city nearest to the passport office.

• Payment of the application fee
• Regular 36-page passport: ₹1,500 (no extra charge for biometric passport).
• Tatkaal facility is also available

.       4. Appointment

• Please reserve a date and time to visit the local Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) or Regional Passport Office (RPO).

• Visit for capturing biometric data.
• Your live photo, fingerprints, and signature will be taken to apply for the Biometric e-Passports.
• Evidence, supporting documents, and an Aadhaar card to be brought along.

• Get Your Passport – Follow Up
• SMS and email reminders for the application will be sent.
• India Security Press, Nasik, will imprint the e-Passport.

FAQs: Your Questions Answered

Q1: Do I need to change over to an e-passport?

A: No, it’s optional. Your standard passports are only valid until their expiry date. You have the option of requesting an e-passport when your renewal is due or sending brand-new ones.

Q2: Would e-passports be extremely costly?

A: No. It’s the same price. No additional fee, even by the government, is being paid for extra technology.

Q3: I live in one of the last 13 cities. Am I covered?

A: Earlier, e-passports were issued only in certain cities; the rollout will soon start for the entire country.

Q4: Will anything affect the use of my passport at the airport?

A: Yes. At some foreign airports, automated e-gates can be used instead of regular queues for processing.

Q5: What’s in the chip? And is it secure?

A: Your biographic information, passport photograph, passport number, and fingerprints are all embedded on the chip, which is protected by several layers of encryption. It is tamper-detect and complies with international data protection standards.

Security Features of the e-Passport

The security features mentioned below are the most important ones that have been brought into Indian biometric passports:

• Basic Access Control (BAC): Secures the chip from unauthorised readers.
• Passive Authentication (PA): Verifies that the chip is fake or any tampering is being processed.
• Extended Access Control (EAC) provides secure access to biometric data on authorised platforms.
• Digital Signature: Verifies the issuer.
• Anti-skimming Coating: Secure the chip against unauthorised origin reader attacks by coating it with a specific material.

What is in store for India’s Passport rollout

E-passport rollout is part of a multi-dimensional process of modernisation, which includes:

• Upgrade of Passport Seva 2.0 infrastructure
• Biometric deployment to all PSKs and Post Office PSKs
• Interoperability with the very last few private players to gain the maximum processing speed
• Aadhaar authentication and incorporation of Digi Locker to facilitate paperless access
• A visionary issuing a digitised passport will make the next few generations of passports an end-to-end, computerised process.

Indian biometric passports are a so-not-so-tech wonder. They are a visionary Indian global mobility tool. Greater security, speedy clearance, and computer readability will be a significant boost for Indians overseas.

Either you are one of the 13 cities already using this, or you can use it and join now. Alternatively, you can wait and watch as the biometric passport soon reaches your city.