India e-Passport: How to Apply on Passport Seva 2.0 in 2026

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.

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.

1. Register on the official portal passportindia.gov.in and create your account. Verify your email or mobile number.
2. Log in and select “Apply for Fresh Passport” or “Re-issue of Passport” as your case requires.
3. Fill the online form with your details exactly as they appear on your proof documents. Mismatched names cause delays.
4. Pay the fee online. Passport Seva 2.0 now accepts UPI and QR digital payments. The fee is the standard passport fee; there is no extra charge for the chip.
5. Book an appointment at a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK), Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) or your Regional Passport Office.
6. Visit on your appointment date with original documents and the printed application receipt for verification and biometrics.
7. Complete police verification when the police contact you or visit your address. This step still applies for most fresh passports.
8. Track your status on the portal or the mPassport Seva mobile app until the e-passport is dispatched.

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.

• Draft a clean request with the AI RTI Drafter.
• If you get a vague reply, run it through the PIO Reply Checker.
• Track your 30-day deadline with the Timeline Tracker and escalate with the First Appeal Builder.

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.

• Register or log in on passportindia.gov.in and start the correct form: fresh or re-issue.
• Check that your name and date of birth match your proof documents exactly before you submit.
• Pay the standard fee by UPI and book your nearest PSK or POPSK appointment slot.
• Download the mPassport Seva app so you can track status from your phone.
• If an earlier application is already stuck, draft a status RTI with the AI RTI Drafter.

• How to apply for a passport under Tatkal in 2026
• Apply for a lost or duplicate passport
• ECR and ECNR passport status explained
• Annexure D passport form for minors
• Fix name mismatch across Aadhaar, PAN and passport

• MEA press release on the nationwide rollout of Passport Seva Programme V2.0 and the e-passport, 12 November 2025
• newsonair.gov.in and DD News coverage of PSP V2.0 and e-passports, November 2025
• Passport Seva official portal, passportindia.gov.in