Chip based e-Passport to be rolled out from 2022-23: All you need to know

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget announcement has said that the government will roll out e-Passports from 2022-23 to enhance convenience for citizens.

Experts believe that the move to introduce E-passport will further streamline the overall citizen experience, enhance security, and facilitate smoother international travel.

According to a Livemint report, the e-passports will use radio-frequency identification (RFID) and biometrics to ascertain the identity of the individuals. The chip embedded e-Passports will personal data of the passport holder --like name, biometric details. Incase there is a tampering with the chip, the system will be able to detect it and in such a case the passport will not be authenticated, said the report.

MEA secretary Sanjay Bhattacharya had previously mentioned about e-Passport in his tweet.

India to soon introduce next-gen #ePassport for citizens

- secure #biometric data
- smooth passage through #immigration posts globally
- @icao compliant
- produced at India Security Press, Nashik
- #eGovernance @passportsevamea @MEAIndia #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav pic.twitter.com/tmMjhvvb9W

— Sanjay Bhattacharyya (@SecySanjay) January 5, 2022

Nashik-based India Security Press is in the process of awarding a contract for the production of ICAO-compliant electronic chip inlays for passport jackets. These contactless inlays are required for the issuance of chip-powered e-passports. The issuance of passports would begin after the procurement process was completed.

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