The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday clarified that a passport is primarily a travel document and not proof of citizenship. Officials made the statement while highlighting the security features of India’s new chip-based e-passports, which are designed to reduce fraud and improve acceptance by immigration authorities worldwide.
Speaking on the occasion of Passport Seva Divas, observed on June 24 to mark the enactment of the Passports Act, 1967, officials said passports serve as documents that attest to an Indian national’s identity and nationality while abroad. They noted that passports are issued only after extensive verification involving multiple government agencies.
The MEA also announced that it will host a two-day Human Resource Mobility Forum on June 30 and July 1 to promote legal migration pathways and connect Indian job seekers with foreign employers. Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia will be the focus countries for the event, which is being organised in collaboration with the Labour and Education Ministries.
Officials revealed that around 14.7 million e-passports have been issued since their rollout last year under the revamped Passport Seva Programme. All newly issued passports are now chip-based and contain an embedded RFID chip and antenna storing personal and biometric information.According to the ministry, e-passports offer enhanced security, making data tampering and passport forgery significantly more difficult. The technology also helps speed up immigration clearances by providing greater confidence to foreign authorities regarding the authenticity of the document.
The chips used in e-passports are supplied through the India Security Press in Nashik, with officials stating that global best practices were studied while developing the system. Further measures are also being explored to strengthen passport security.Officials clarified that while Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) serves as the technology and service provider for the Passport Seva Project, all passport-related data remains stored on MEA servers.
The ministry stressed the importance of ethical recruitment and proper training for Indians seeking overseas employment, particularly in light of incidents involving workers being misled into joining the Russian armed forces. Authorities said structured recruitment channels and awareness among job aspirants are essential to prevent exploitation.
Efforts are also underway to expand visa-free and visa-on-arrival access for Indian citizens. Currently, 27 countries offer visa-free travel to Indians, up from 16 in 2019, while 47 countries provide visa-on-arrival facilities and 66 countries offer e-visas. India has also signed migration and mobility agreements with 25 countries, mainly in Europe.
Officials said passport services have improved significantly over the years. The average processing time for passport applications has been reduced to five to six days, while applicants now spend less than 45 minutes at Passport Seva Kendras. The number of Passport Seva Kendras and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras has increased from 77 a decade ago to 544 across the country.
The ministry is also working with state authorities to further reduce police verification timelines, with a focus on replicating best-performing states where verification is completed within two to three days.