Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, recently presented the 2022-23 annual budget in parliament, and in her budget, she mentions the benefits and implementation of e-passport and it will be fully rolled out in 2023 second quarter in India. In this article, you will know how e-passport will work, how to apply for an e-passport, and how it is beneficial for citizens and airport officials. Also,read: How to download vaccination certificate | Add passport detail to vaccination certificate | How to correct name in a vaccination certificate.

What is an e-passport?

The E-passport will remain the same as physical passports which are currently used for Indian citizens but a little electronic chip will be embedded on the cover page of the passport. Just because of embedded chips, it will be more secure. This printed chip will be store the name, date of birth, and other biometrics data of an Indian citizen. Also,read: What is Digital signature? | How to create a digital signature.

The e-Passport project and integrated technology are jointly developed by the IIT Kanpur and National Informatics Centre (NIC). This homegrown technology help for the integration of chip in the physical passport, due to that physical passport booklet will work like smart cards that support contactless passport services. Also,read: How To Find How Many SIM Cards Linked Your Aadhaar Card | What is TAFCOP Portal?

How will e-passport work?

As per the report presented in the parliament budget session, the personal details like identification, biometric data, and other personal information will store in the electronic chip which is embedded on the front and  regular antenna printed alongside the passport cover so that it will connect and share data with airport authority for identification. Also,read: How to Delete Instagram Account | How to Earn Money from Instagram?

This electronic chip has 64KB of internal storage which can store up to 30 international trips of a passenger. The stored data can modify or updated by the government authorities and approved agencies of the Government only. It can not be changed by others except authorities. As per the official, tampering of chip can disable the services related to passports. Also,read: RBI to launch UPI based payment system for feature phone users | UPI-based payment products to be launched for keypad phone

What are the key features of e-passports in India?

Below are the key features of e-passports.

1. E-passport can store all information of a traveller. The chip can store passport detail, Aadhar detail, photo of travellers, journey detail, and biometrics like eye print and fingerprints.
2. If someone tries to tamper with this electronic chip for any deceitful activities, it will revoke the passport authentication on the terminal.
3. The e-passport of India will be developed as per guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which is an UN-based agency to define standards for travel documents.
4. This will reduce the updation of physical passports, and a traveller can only update his details at the time of use at airports.

What are the benefits of an e-passport?

After the integration of smart chips, the new e-passports will be more beneficial for Government authorities as well as travellers.

1. It is easy to upgrade old passports for a government agency and they can also easily monitor your travel data when they need it.
2. It will help travelers from standing in long queues in front of the immigration counter at the airports. A traveller can tap passports through an e-chip with the scanner in less time as compared to the physical verification.
3. It confirms that user’s data can not be compromised for international travel.
4. The E-passport will stop the fake passport business. Because it is not easy to manipulate stored data in the electronic chip.
5. The e-Passport will also be helpful for airport authorities, as it will save their time for detailed verification.

How to upgrade your current passport to an e-passport?

Indian Government is planning to launch this e-passport service by 2023 for all its citizens. The government may offer e-passport up-gradation once the service will fully roll out. You will use your recent passport till the new e-passport is launched. 

According to an industry analyst, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)  bags the deal for implementation of e-passport in India this will comes under the second phase of the Passport Seva Program. As per the agreement with the government, Tata Consultancy Services will provide software integration and will source the hardware chips. TCS recently renewed the contract with the government and this second phase of the Passport Seva Program contract could be worth Rs 8,000 crore.

When will e-passport be launched in India?

This e-passport service is now in a pilot project and it will be fully developed in the next financial year. You can expect an e-passport launch date in India in the 2023-24 financial year. Government officials are working for its security and accuracy so that nobody can manipulate e-passport data.

You can read other articles

• OnePlus Nord 2T and OnePlus Nord 2 CE are making Buzz ahead of India launch | OnePlus Nord 2T or Nord 2 CE Price And Specifications Tipped
• Oppo Reno 7 Pro 5G, Oppo Reno 7 5G is all set to Launch in India | Oppo Reno 7 5G Advanced Camera feature, expected price, specifications
• Oppo Find X5 Pro Leaked Images Suggest Hasselblad Camera Collaboration | Find X5 Pro MariSilicon X NPU , Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 50 MP Sony IMX766 Camera
• Titan EyeX Smart Glasses With Inbuilt wireless Speakers Launched in India | Top 5 features of Titan EyeX , Price, Specifications, Snapdragon processor

You may watch other IT Sambad’s tech videos here