Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, extended greetings to all passport-issuing authorities in India and abroad on the occasion of the 14th Passport Service Day, highlighting record passport issuances, the rollout of chip-enabled e-passports, and the expansion of service centres across the country.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X, Dr. Jaishankar conveyed his greetings — 'हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ' ('heartfelt best wishes') — to passport authorities both within India and at missions overseas. He specifically noted the implementation of the Passport Seva Programme 2.0 and chip-enabled e-passports, the inauguration of new Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs), and what he described as record-level passport issuances. The minister framed these developments as having made foreign travel easier, expanded access to global opportunities, and empowered citizens.

The post carried the hashtags #TeamMEA and #12YearsOfSeva, underscoring that the ministry's passport modernisation drive spans more than a decade of sustained reform.

Policy Backdrop

The Passport Seva Project was launched from 2012 onwards to replace the earlier manual, paper-heavy application system with online submissions and dedicated PSKs — a structural overhaul that placed technology at the centre of consular service delivery. The expansion into post offices through POPSKs, which began in 2017, extended that reach to smaller towns and rural areas that had previously lacked convenient access to passport facilities.

Passport Seva Programme 2.0 represents the upgraded iteration of this initiative, integrating enhanced digital platforms and infrastructure to further streamline application, processing, and delivery. The introduction of chip-enabled e-passports aligns India with international biometric standards, strengthening document security and interoperability at border checkpoints globally.

The ministry's push sits within India's broader e-governance framework, which has sought over the past decade to digitise public service delivery across sectors. Rising international mobility among Indian citizens — accelerated by post-pandemic travel recovery — has placed additional demand on consular infrastructure, making scalability a central policy concern.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of these reforms are Indian passport applicants, international travellers, and the overseas Indian diaspora, whose access to consular services depends on the efficiency and geographic spread of the passport network. The expansion of POPSKs through India Post offices has been particularly significant for first-time applicants in semi-urban and rural areas, reducing the need to travel to large cities for document processing.

Dr. Jaishankar invoked the ministry's stated resolve — 'सुरक्षित पासपोर्ट, सुगम सेवा, सशक्त नागरिक' ('Secure Passport, Smooth Service, Empowered Citizen') — as the guiding principle for #TeamMEA's commitment to making passport services faster, more transparent, and more accessible. This citizen-centric framing reflects the ministry's effort to position consular efficiency as a direct instrument of individual empowerment.

What's Next

Further phases of the chip-enabled e-passport rollout across all PSKs and overseas missions remain on the ministry's agenda, as the programme works toward universal coverage of the new biometric document standard. Parliamentary scrutiny of MEA budget allocations for service expansion is also anticipated as the programme scales.

With the 14th Passport Service Day marking over a decade of continuous reform, the ministry's trajectory points toward deeper technology integration and a wider service footprint — both domestically and through Indian missions abroad — as the volume of passport applications continues to grow alongside India's expanding global mobility.