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email The U.S. Electronic Passport Frequently Asked Questions
- What is an Electronic Passport?
- What is a Biometric? Which one does the new Electronic Passport use?
- What are the special features of an Electronic Passport?
- How does an Electronic Passport facilitate travel?
- Why is an Electronic Passport being issued?
- What countries will be issuing Electronic Passports?
- What happens if an Electronic Passport is lost?
- What does the Electronic Passport logo look like and what does it mean?
- Can a previously issued passport still be used for travel as long as it is still valid?
- Can the new electronic passport be amended, for example if I change my name?
- Can a request be made for a new passport to be issued without a chip?
- Will someone be able to read or access the information on the chip without my knowledge (also known as skimming)?
- Can the information on the chip be altered and how is the information protected from being accessed by an unauthorized reader?
- What will happen if my Electronic Passport fails at a port of entry?
What is an Electronic Passport?
An Electronic Passport is the same as a traditional passport with the addition of a small integrated circuit (or “chip”) embedded in the back cover. The chip will store the same data visually displayed on the data page of the passport, a biometric identifier in the form of a digital image of the passport photograph, which will facilitate the use of face recognition technology at ports-of-entry, the unique chip identification number and a digital signature to protect the stored data from alteration.
What is a Biometric? Which one does the new Electronic Passport use?
A biometric or biometric identifier is a measureable physical or behavioral characteristic of an individual, which can be used to verify the identity of that individual or to compare against other entries when stored in a database. Biometrics include face recognition, fingerprints and iris scans. The U.S. Electronic Passport will use the digital image of the passport photograph as the biometric identifier that will be used with face recognition technology to verify the identity of the passport bearer. For more information on biometrics, please consult www.biometricscatalog.org .
What are the special features of an Electronic Passport?
The special features of an Electronic Passport are:
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Securely stored biographical information and digital image that are identical to the information that is visually displayed in the passport; and
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Contactless chip technology that allows the information stored in an Electronic Passport to be read by special chip readers at a close distance.
- Uses digital signature technology to verify the authenticity of the data stored on the chip. This technology is commonly used in credit cards and other secure documents using integrated circuits or chips.
How does an Electronic Passport facilitate travel?
The Electronic Passport facilitates travel by allowing:
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Automated identity verification;
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Faster immigration inspections; and
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Greater border protection and security.
The Electronic Passport is designed to function for the passport’s full validity period under normal use.
Why are Electronic Passports being issued?As a security measure, Congress has legislated that all countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program with the United States must issue passports with integrated circuits (chips), to permit storage of at least a digital image
of the passport photograph for use with face recognition technology. The U.S. is doing so on a reciprocal basis and will
comply with the latest international standards established for secure travel documents.
What countries will issue an Electronic Passport?
The Department of State began issuing the first-ever tourist (blue cover) Electronic Passport (e-passports) to the public
at the Colorado Passport Agency on August 14, 2006. Diplomatic and Official e-passports are already being issued. The Department
plans to issue tourist e-passports at all domestic passport agencies by the end of 2006.
Governments of other nations have begun or will begin to issue passports that have a biometric as soon as they are able to
integrate the technology into their countries’ passports.
What happens if an Electronic Passport is lost or stolen?
Any passport that is lost or stolen should be reported immediately. U.S. passports reported lost or stolen are invalidated
and can no longer be used for travel. How to report and replace a lost or stolen U.S. passport.
What is the Electronic Passport logo and what does it mean?
The Electronic Passport logo (shown below) is the international symbol for an electronic passport. It signifies that the
passport contains an integrated circuit or chip on which data about the passport and passport bearer is stored. The logo
will be displayed at border inspection lanes at all airports and transit ports equipped with special data readers for Electronic
Passports.
Can a previously issued passport still be used for travel as long as it is still valid?
Yes. Previously issued passports that are still valid can be used for travel.
Can the new electronic passport be amended, for example, if I change my name?
No. The new electronic passports will not be amended. If you change your name, need to extend a limited passport, or need a correction in the descriptive information, you will have to get a new passport. Within the first year after issuance, the new passport will be issued without additional payment of the passport fee. After one year, fees will be assessed for the new passport.
Can a request be made for a new passport to be issued without a chip?
No. Once all Passport Agencies have been equipped to issue the new passport, all newly issued passports will be electronic.
Will someone be able to read or access the information on the chip without my knowledge (also known as skimming or eavesdropping)?
Skimming is the act of obtaining data from an unknowing end user who is not willingly submitting the sample at that time. Eavesdropping is the interception of information as it moves electronically between the chip and the chip reader.
An example of skimming could be secretly reading data while in close proximity to a user on a bus. In this application, the chip is designed to operate within 10 centimeters (less than 4 inches) of a chip reader using appropriate public keys. Experts indicate that the information on the chip cannot be easily accessed surreptitiously. Even so, the Department of State has incorporated a reliable anti-skimming feature and Basic Access Control to mitigate the threat of skimming in all electronic passports.
Eavesdropping can only occur while a reader using the proper public key is reading the chip. Eavesdropping is difficult to achieve in a secured port-of-entry environment that is government-operated in most cases. In such an environment, the equipment needed to eavesdrop would be obvious and detectable to authorities managing the port of entry environment. Governments can reduce the threat of eavesdropping by requiring all chip readers to be electronically shielded to prevent signals from being transmitted beyond the reader.
To prevent skimming and eavesdropping of data, Basic Access Control (BAC) is employed. BAC is similar to a PIN used in ATM or credit card transactions. In the case of the electronic passport, characters from the printed machine-readable zone of the passport must be read first in order to unlock the chip for reading. Thus, when an electronic passport is presented to an inspector, the inspector must scan the printed lines of data in order to be able to read the data on the chip. To further protect against skimming, the U.S. e-passport will include a shielding material in the passport cover that will make unauthorized reading of the passport very difficult from any appreciable distance as long as the passport is closed.
Can the information on the chip be altered and how is the information protected from being accessed by an unauthorized reader?
The new passports use Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology that prevents the chip from being altered; thus, providing a higher level of security for the passport. Access to the data on the chip requires the use of an official public key to ensure that the data has not been altered and that it was written to the chip by the Department of State. Although some experts have advised that surreptitious reading of data from the chip cannot be achieved beyond prescribed distances, the Department intends to issue all electronic passports with an anti-skimming feature built into the passport. The device would prevent any reading of data on the chip while the passport is not being used.
What will happen if my Electronic passport fails at a port-of-entry?
The chip in the passport is just one of the many security features of the new passport. If the chip fails, the passport remains a valid travel document until its expiration date. The bearer will continue to processed by the port-of-entry officer as if he/she had a passport without a chip.
