The Ministry of External Affairs clarified that the passport is a travel document, not final proof of citizenship. Also gave a big update on e-passport, fast services and global mobility.
New Delhi: There was confusion in the country for a long time regarding the benefits of government schemes and the use of passport as a permanent proof of citizenship. Ending this growing confusion forever, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has issued a very shocking and big clarification. Senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs have clearly said that the Indian passport is purely a ‘travel document’. Under no circumstances should it be considered as definitive or final legal proof of Indian citizenship.
There is a passport, but why not the final proof of citizenship?
This clarification from the ministry was given during a detailed briefing organized on India’s rapidly changing passport and mobility ecosystem. Officials stressed that even though this document is issued only to Indian citizens, its primary and main purpose is only to enable international travel and to establish the citizen’s identity in foreign countries. It is noteworthy that even before this, legal questions have been raised on important documents like Aadhar Card and Voter ID Card being proof of citizenship. According to officials, the passport is issued only to Indian citizens, but its primary purpose is to provide travel identification. Citizenship is determined on the basis of Indian laws and related legal provisions. This is why just because a person has a passport, it is not considered the final legal proof of citizenship. This clarification has rekindled the discussions in which questions have been raised from time to time regarding the validity and role of Aadhar Card, Voter ID and other identity cards.
545 centres, yet only 10% Indians have passports
India’s passport network has grown rapidly in the last decade. While earlier its reach was limited, now 545 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) are operating across the country. The government plans to provide at least one passport facility in every Lok Sabha constituency by 2027. Despite this, a shocking fact has come to light – only about 10 percent of the country’s population has a passport. The Government believes that in view of the global opportunities in education, employment and business, both the demand and requirement of passports will increase rapidly in the coming years.
- Reach in every parliamentary constituency: At present the passport network has covered almost every parliamentary seat. Only 30 districts of the country currently do not have dedicated centres.
- Mission 2027: The government is preparing to open 20 more new Passport Seva Kendras this year. Its main objective is to ensure that by the year 2027, at least one Passport Facilitation Center is compulsorily present in every Lok Sabha seat of the country.
- Action of mobile teams: Special mobile passport teams have been deployed for remote and extremely inaccessible areas. With the help of outreach camps organized last year, passports have been issued to about 300,000 people from underserved areas.
The trap of chipped e-passports: security or something else?
The country’s biggest milestone on the technology front was unveiled during the briefing – the rollout of e-passports with high-tech chips across the country. A secure electronic chip is being installed in all new Indian passports issued since May last year. The citizen’s biometric information is protected within this chip, which is in accordance with the stringent global standards of the ‘International Civil Aviation Organization’ (ICAO). This step has created a stir in the fake passport making racket and fraud network, as this technology has greatly strengthened the document security and the speed of acceptance and verification of Indian citizens at the international border checkpoints has improved significantly. Due to technological improvements, applicants now have to spend less than 45 minutes at Passport Seva Kendras and in many cases the processing time has reduced to just five working days.
Truth of 10% population: How much has India’s reputation changed at the global level?
The surprising thing is that despite all these reforms and technological advancements, only 10% of India’s vast population currently has a passport. Expanding this reach has become a major priority for the government as global mobility has become increasingly important for education, employment and business. However, the credibility and visa access of the Indian passport is continuously improving globally, the figures of which are as follows:
| Visa type | number of accessible countries |
| Visa-Free Entry | 27 countries |
| Visa on Arrival | 47 countries |
| E-Visa Facility (e-Visa) | 66 countries |
India has also signed 27 historic mobility agreements with 25 powerful countries of the world, which include the European Union, UK, Australia and Gulf countries. This agreement has been made with the aim of making access to foreign countries easier for Indian students, researchers and professionals.
eMigrate 2.0 and One-Stop Centre: Who is the protector of Indians stranded abroad?
The government has made major changes on the backend to prevent exploitation of Indian workers in the global jobs market and bring transparency. The upgraded eMigrate 2.0 platform has completely transformed the process of immigration clearance. Since its launch in October 2022, about 700,000 Indian workers have gone abroad with secure clearance through this portal. Additionally, ‘Random Processing System’ has been implemented in 17 passport offices to eliminate scope for corruption or delay at any level.
When will the meeting of ‘Human Resource Mobility Forum’ be held?
Next week, India is going to host a very big ‘Human Resource Mobility Forum’, in which countries like Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and Denmark will participate. Its main agenda is to directly connect skilled Indian youth with ethical employers abroad. Also, for the safety of distressed Indian women living abroad, ‘One-Stop Support Centres’ have been opened in Gulf countries and Singapore, where they are being provided free legal help and psychological counselling. All these welfare schemes are being given financial assistance from ‘Indian Community Welfare Fund’. The ultimate goal of the government is to take passport out of the realm of privilege of an elite class and make it an accessible and secure travel medium for crores of common Indians.