India issued over 138 lakh passports in the most recent financial year, compared with 83 lakh a decade earlier. This represents a 66 percent increase in yearly output. The Ministry of External Affairs presented these figures on 24 June 2026 during the 14th Passport Seva Divas. Officials also noted that a passport serves as a travel document rather than evidence of citizenship. The ministry highlighted improvements in service delivery across India and at missions overseas. In 2014 the country operated 77 Passport Seva Kendras. The total now stands at 545, a sevenfold expansion. An additional 454 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras extend coverage to smaller towns and districts. Average time spent at a centre is now less than 45 minutes. Passports are issued within six working days after police verification. In 25 states and union territories verification itself takes five to seven days through a dedicated mobile application. Calendar year 2025 saw delivery of 1.39 crore passports plus related services reaching 1.5 crore documents overall. An electronic passport contains an RFID chip holding personal and biometric information. It follows International Civil Aviation Organisation standards for automated border control. Rollout began in April 2024 at offices in Nagpur and Bhubaneswar. More than 80,000 such passports were produced at those sites by late 2024. The programme now operates in 13 cities including Jammu, Goa, Delhi and Chennai. Existing fees remain unchanged and current passports stay valid until expiry. Twenty-seven countries now grant visa-free entry to Indian passport holders, up from 16 in 2019. Another 47 offer visa on arrival and 66 provide electronic visas. The Henley Passport Index ranked India 75th in February 2026, granting access to 56 destinations. Two countries removed visa-free access during the period, yet the overall position improved. On 28 October 2025 the Global Passport Seva Programme V2.0 was introduced at Indian diplomatic missions worldwide.
