Budget 2022: e-Passports will be rolled out in 2022-23, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has now said that issuance of E-passports will be rolled out in 2022-23 to enhance convenience for citizens. 

The passport jacket will include an electronic chip with vital security information encoded on it.

Citizens will get chip-enabled e-Passports with additional security features from the Ministry of External Affairs. The applicants' personal information would be digitally signed and kept in a chip that would be integrated in the passport booklet. If the chip is tampered with, the system will be able to detect it, resulting in the passport authentication failing.

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.