Since 14 November 2025, every fresh Indian passport application and every renewal is issued as a chip-enabled e-passport by default. You do not apply for it separately, and there is no extra fee. You simply apply for a passport as usual on the official portal, and the booklet you receive is now an e-passport.
If you are short on time, jump to the step-by-step section below: the process on Passport Seva is the same as before, and the new chip is added automatically.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced the nationwide rollout on 12 November 2025. The rollout covers three things at once: Passport Seva Programme version 2.0 (PSP V2.0) for applicants in India, the Global Passport Seva Programme version 2.0 (GPSP V2.0) for overseas applicants, and the chip-enabled e-passport itself.
From 14 November 2025, all fresh applications and renewals, whether filed in India or through an Indian embassy or consulate, are automatically issued as e-passports. The e-passport is the standard booklet now. It is governed by the Passport Act, 1967, and the platform is run by MEA with the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
You do not need to rush. Existing paper passports stay valid until their printed expiry date. There is no need to replace a valid passport early just because the chip version exists.
| Feature | Old passport | New e-passport |
|---|---|---|
| Booklet | Paper-only data page | RFID chip and antenna embedded in the cover |
| Data security | Printed page only | Biographic and biometric data digitally signed using India public-key infrastructure |
| Immigration | Manual stamp counters | Faster e-gate clearance at supported airports |
| Address | Printed on last page | Stored in the chip and barcode, not printed |
| Tamper resistance | Lower | Stronger anti-tampering through the signed chip |
| Payment | Limited options | UPI and QR digital payments supported |
| Help | Counter and call centre | AI chat and voice assistance added |
The chip stores your biographic and biometric data and is digitally signed. This is what lets immigration e-gates read and trust the passport quickly, and it makes the booklet much harder to forge.
The steps below are for a fresh passport or a renewal. The e-passport is produced automatically; there is no separate e-passport option to tick.
If you need the passport urgently, the Tatkal scheme remains available as the faster paid route, subject to the usual eligibility and document rules.
Passport Seva 2.0 runs on a single cloud platform that connects 37 Regional Passport Offices, 93 Passport Seva Kendras, about 450 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras and over 190 embassies and consulates. That is why the rollout could switch on nationwide on the same date instead of region by region.
Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak applied to renew his passport in December 2025, expecting the old paper booklet. He filled the standard re-issue form on passportindia.gov.in, paid by UPI, and gave biometrics at his local PSK. The booklet he received had an RFID chip in the cover and no address printed on the last page. He had not asked for anything extra; the e-passport was simply the default. His daughter Kashvi Pathak, whose existing passport was valid until 2028, did not need to do anything, because valid paper passports stay valid until expiry.
If your application stalls and the normal grievance route does not help, you can use the Right to Information Act, 2005 to ask for the facts behind the delay.
File a Section 6 RTI application with the Public Information Officer at your Regional Passport Office or the MEA. You can ask for the current status of your file, the status or report of your police verification, and the reason your application is being held. The PIO must reply within 30 days. If there is no reply or the reply is evasive, you can file a first appeal within 30 days of that deadline.
Before filing, check the live status on the portal or the mPassport Seva app, because a simple status check often answers the question without an RTI. Use an RTI only when the official channels go silent.
For the full method of framing and escalating an RTI, read The RTI Playbook. The right itself comes from the RTI Act 2005.
No. From 14 November 2025 every fresh passport and every renewal is issued as an e-passport by default. You apply for a passport in the normal way and receive the chip-enabled booklet automatically.
No. The e-passport carries the standard passport fee. There is no separate or additional charge for the embedded chip. Passport Seva 2.0 now also lets you pay by UPI and QR.
Yes. Existing valid paper passports remain valid until their printed expiry date. You do not need to replace a valid passport early. You will get an e-passport the next time you renew.
The chip stores your biographic and biometric data, digitally signed using India public-key infrastructure. This enables faster e-gate immigration clearance and makes the passport much harder to tamper with or forge.
In Passport Seva 2.0, the address moved off the last page. It is now stored in the chip and barcode instead of being printed. This is a deliberate design change, not an error in your booklet.
Yes. The Tatkal scheme remains available as the faster paid route, subject to the usual eligibility and document conditions. The booklet you receive through Tatkal is also an e-passport.
Yes. Police verification still applies for most fresh passport cases. The chip does not remove this step. You can track the verification status on the portal or the mPassport Seva app.
Check status first on passportindia.gov.in or the mPassport Seva app. If the application is stuck and grievance redress fails, file a Section 6 RTI with the PIO at your Regional Passport Office or MEA. The reply is due in 30 days.