Travelling abroad is set to become easier and faster with e-passports that will be rolled out in 2022-23. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that the move has been taken keeping in mind the convenience of citizens. This perhaps is possible due to higher level of automation that give airport authorities easier access for immigration and security checks, as computerized authorization is much more secure and faster.
But how safe is it? The e-passports will come with an electronic microprocessor chip embedded in it with advanced security features. The personal particulars of the applicants would be digitally signed and stored in the chip which would be embedded in the passport booklet. In case, anyone tampers with the chip, the system shall be able to identify it, resulting in the failure of the passport authentication.
Sanjay Bhattacharya, Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs, Secretary, had earlier stated that the new e-passport will secure biometric data, and also be in line with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
A report in Times of India earlier stated that the government has initiated the process to introduce e-passports. On trial basis, 20,000 official and diplomatic e-passports embedded with such chips were processed. Now, after a successful run, it has begun the work to issue e-passports to all citizens.
How Do E-passports Work
• An e-passport or a digital passport serves the same purpose as a traditional passport. However, the e-passport comes with an electronic chip that carries the same information as the printed passport. The microchip carries information such as the passport holder’s name, date of birth, and other details.
• The chip which will be placed on the back of the passport will come with 64 kilobytes of storage space and an embedded rectangular antenna.
• The chip will contain data from up to 30 international trips initially. However, in the later stage, the chip is also expected to store the picture of the passport holder along with biometric data such as fingerprints. If anybody tries to tamper with the chip, it will result in failure of passport authentication.
• The e-passport, once introduced, would eliminate the need to stand in long queues in front of the immigration counter. The e-passport could be scanned in minutes as opposed to the physical verification at the immigration counter.
• It will also help curb the fake passport business as the scammers would find it hard to fiddle with the data recorded on the microchip.
• An infrastructure is also in place to ensure upgraded and future-ready documents are provided to deter identity theft, forgery, and enhanced connectivity for a streamlined immigration process.
• According to a report in PTI, India Security Press, Nashik has awarded the contract for procurement of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)-compliant electronic contactless inlays along with its operating system necessary for chip-enabled e-passports.
• Issuance of e-Passports will commence on the successful completion of the procurement process by ISP, Nashik. TCS will also introduce the much-awaited e-passport, a senior company official said.
• “We will bring in the technology (for e-passport), but you know the sovereign functions like granting or printing of the passport booklet will continue with the government,” Tej Bhatla, business unit head for public sector at TCS, was quoted by PTI.
• He explained that it will not be a completely paper-free document as work like visa stamping will continue, but will definitely reduce the need for paper through automation wherever possible.
• The concept of an e-passport is not something unheard of. Over 120 countries, including the US, UK, and Germany already have biometric e-passport systems.
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