An ePassport, or biometric passport, uses body features to digitally confirm the identity of a card holder. There are a number of different physical traits used to identify humans biometrically. Most often, fingerprints, handprints or eye scans are used as an added level of security. Using actual physical features proves the card holder is who they say they are.
Physical traits are the true essence of identity recognition, so it makes sense that biometric technology is taking off around the globe.
International standards for ePassports stipulate that biometric recognition systems must be in place. These are used to fully verify that the passport holder is the true owner of the card or book. There are digital versions of the photographs, which after an EU directive are having biometric fingerprints added as a security measure in all member countries.
Germany for instance has already successfully implemented this system using a single fingerprint from each hand as part of the biometric recognition for their ePassport. As other member states work on adding biometric fingerprints to their ePassports, cross-border tests are currently being conducted for the new technology.
If you want to know if you are eligible to get a biometric passport, you need to visit your local government website. Results will vary from country to country, but you can generally find out more about ePassports online via the region’s official site.
ePassport versus Machine Readable Passport
The majority of passports in the world are Machine Readable Passports (MRP), which are printed documents that are recognized when scanned via an optical reader. The data page is the identity page where this information can be found. MRPs brought the advantage of speedier processing of passengers.
An ePassport, or electronic passport, on the other hand includes a chip (or small integrated circuit) housed within the pages or covers of the document. This added layer of biometric security features shows that the passport is real and that the chip has not been tampered with. This advanced level security combats counterfeit documents and better connects the passport to the holder.
