Traveling abroad is about to get a lot easier and safer for Indians, as the government is ready to roll out its new e-passports in the next two months. These passports will have a chip embedded in them that will store all the personal and biometric details of the passport holder, making them more secure and convenient than the traditional passports. The chip will also have a digital signature that will be verified by individual certificates, ensuring that the passport is authentic and not tampered with. These e-passports will comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, which means that they will be accepted in 140 countries around the world.
How are e-passports produced and what do they look like?
The Indian Security Press in Nashik has successfully completed the technical assessments and is set to produce 70 lakh blank booklets for these e-passports, followed by an order of 4.5 crore chip-embedded passports. The e-passports will look similar to the traditional passports, except for the chip on one page and the personal data on another page. The rest of the pages will be used for visa stamps and endorsements.
What are the benefits of e-passports for Indians?
The e-passports will offer many benefits to Indians who want to study, work or travel abroad, as they will reduce the risk of fraud, forgery and identity theft. They will also enable faster and smoother immigration procedures in foreign airports, as the chip will allow the passport holders to scan their passports at automated e-gates. The e-passports will also have a longer validity period of 10 years, compared to the current five years.
How are India’s e-passports different from other countries’?
India is not the first country to introduce e-passports, as many countries such as the US, UK, Germany, France and Australia have already adopted them. However, India’s e-passports will have some unique features that will make them stand out from the rest. For instance, India’s e-passports will have a ghost image of the passport holder on the data page, which will be visible only under UV light. They will also have a micro-textured paper that will prevent tampering and counterfeiting.
When and how can Indians apply for e-passports?
India’s e-passports are expected to be launched in two months, after the final approval from the Ministry of External Affairs. The existing passport holders can continue to use their passports until they expire or need to be renewed. They can then apply for the new e-passports at any Passport Seva Kendra or online through the Passport Seva app.
Focus keyword: India’s new e-passports Tags: travel, technology, security Meta description: India is ready to launch its new e-passports in two months. These passports will have a chip embedded in them that will store all the personal and biometric details of the passport holder and enable faster and smoother immigration procedures in 140 countries.