India To Soon Adopt Embedded Chip E-Passports For Better Functionality And Security

The Indian government wants to adopt e-passports by embedding electronic chips for locally passenger data storing. A passport is not just someone’s gateway to travel internationally but it is also a very powerful personal identity document. By making that information accessible through passport digitization, which will boost the functionality as well as security.

The process of issuing e-passports is underway, which will add more advanced security features so that the passport will be impenetrable. If someone tries to tamper with a passport, the system will identify this problem and stop the authentication.

Citizens’ personal information will also be stored in the chip, which will belong to the physical passport booklet. Specific international authorities can access these particulars as well as a person’s digital signature so that they can quickly pull up information on the travel history of this individual.

This smart passport concept has already received approval from the government and the procurement process has begun. Nashik-based Indian Security Press will be in charge of manufacturing these passports’ contactless inlays.

For a smoother transition, a global tender will be floated by the ISP to obtain the rights to use contactless inlays that are in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s standards as well as accessing the required operating system.

Once the tender is carried out successfully, e-passports’ manufacturing will begin. Once everything is completed, India will join other countries that also offer their citizens smart passports for enhanced global usability.

The last few years saw the Indian government’s efforts in pushing passports’ adoption with over a crore passports were issued. It is expected that the trend will grow faster.

It was the Minister of State for External Affairs who made the announcement. The issuing of the new passport could signal that greater things will come, like how the application procedures for a passport could be speeded up, as well as the renewals, digitized processes.