As the demand for global travel continues to grow, countries are looking for new ways to improve the security and convenience of passports. India, one of the most populous countries in the world, has also kept up with the times and announced that it will launch RFID chip-based electronic passports nationwide from May 2025.
Electronic passports, as the name suggests, are new travel documents that integrate radio frequency identification (RFID) chips into traditional passport booklets. This innovative technology allows passports to store not only basic information of the holder, such as name, date of birth and passport number, but also biometric information such as fingerprints and facial images in an encrypted digital format. This design greatly improves the anti-counterfeiting ability of passports, making them difficult to copy or tamper with, thereby effectively preventing illegal acts such as passport forgery.
To ensure the smooth rollout of e-passports, the Indian government launched a pilot project on April 1, 2024 as part of the Passport Seva 2.0 program. The pilot areas covered specific regional passport offices in cities such as Chennai, Jaipur, and Hyderabad. Through this phase of practice, the government was able to collect feedback, optimize processes, and be fully prepared for nationwide promotion.
In Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, the issuance of e-passports was officially launched on March 3, 2025. In just 20 days, the state has successfully issued 20,729 e-passports, a figure that not only demonstrates the efficient execution of the local government, but also reflects the widespread acceptance and expectations of the public for e-passports.
What are the advantages of e-passports with RFID chips?
E-passports with RFID chips are an important technological innovation in the field of modern entry and exit management. Their advantages are mainly reflected in security, convenience, anti-counterfeiting capabilities, information storage and management, and improving international travel experience. Specifically, there are the following advantages:
1. Enhanced security
Encryption technology: The data in the RFID chip is protected by advanced encryption technology, and only authorized reading devices can access it, which effectively prevents personal information from being illegally obtained or tampered with.
Biometric identification: Many electronic passports containing RFID chips also integrate biometric identification technologies, such as fingerprints and facial recognition, which further improves the accuracy and security of identity verification.
2. Improved convenience
Quick customs clearance: At entry and exit ports, electronic passports containing RFID chips can quickly read information through special readers without manual item-by-item verification, which greatly shortens the waiting time of passengers and improves customs clearance efficiency.
Self-service: Supports self-service services such as self-service check-in and self-service customs clearance, which reduces the contact between passengers and staff, reduces the risk of epidemic transmission, and also improves the travel experience of passengers.
3. Strengthen anti-counterfeiting capabilities
Difficult to copy: The existence of RFID chips makes it difficult for electronic passports to be forged or copied because the data in the chip is unique and encrypted.
Dynamic verification: Some advanced electronic passports also support dynamic verification functions, such as further confirming the authenticity of the passport by reading the data in the chip and comparing it with the background database.
4. Optimize information storage and management
Large-capacity storage: RFID chips have a large storage capacity and can store more personal information and biometric data, providing more possibilities for future entry and exit management.
Convenient information update: When the information of the passport holder changes, such as updating photos, fingerprints, etc., the data in the chip can be quickly updated through relevant institutions without re-applying for a passport.
5. Improve the international travel experience
Global mutual recognition: With the popularity of electronic passports, more and more countries and regions have begun to recognize and accept electronic passports containing RFID chips, making it more convenient for passengers to travel internationally.
There are also passports of these countries that have embedded RFID chips
At present, passports of many countries around the world have embedded RFID chips, including but not limited to the following countries:
The United States: Since 2006, the United States has issued electronic passports (e-Passports) embedded with RFID chips. The chip stores biometric information such as the holder's name, date of birth, passport number, digital photos, etc., and supports fast customs clearance.
EU Member States: The EU has been promoting electronic passports since 2006, and all member states' passports are embedded with RFID chips, which meet the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). RFID chips store biometric data (such as fingerprints and facial images), support global mutual recognition, and use encryption technology to protect data security.
Canada: Canadian passports have been fully embedded with RFID chips since 2013, storing basic information and digital photos of the holder. The chip is consistent with the data on the inner page of the passport, supporting rapid border inspections, and encryption measures are used to prevent data tampering.
Australia: Australian passports have introduced RFID chip technology since 2005, and the chip stores the holder's biometric data. Supports automated border clearance systems (such as SmartGate) to improve entry and exit efficiency.
Japan: Japan has issued electronic passports embedded with RFID chips since 2006, and the chips store the holder's facial images and personal information. High-security encryption technology is used to prevent data leakage.
China: China has issued electronic ordinary passports since 2012, and the inner pages of passports are embedded with RFID chips to store the holder's basic information, digital photos and biometric information (such as fingerprints). The chip uses domestic encryption technology to support fast customs clearance while ensuring data security.
Other countries such as Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland and other countries have also fully implemented electronic passports embedded with RFID chips.
This paper is from Ulink Media, Shenzhen, China, the organizer of IOTE EXPO (IoT Expo in China)
