ELECTRONIC PASSPORT ( ePassport )

What is an ePassport?
An Electronic Passport or ePassport is a passport with an added integrated circuit or chip embedded in one of the passport pages.

Such chip contains the data that are essential in verifying the identity of the passport holder, which include the personal data found on the data page of the passport, the biometrics of the passport holder, the unique chip identification number, and a digital signature to verify the authenticity of the data stored on the chip.

This chip is highly interoperable; meaning, it can be read by any standard border control machine worldwide. The chip technology allows the information stored in an ePassport to be read by special chip readers at a close distance. It is integrated with high security mechanisms in order to prevent any forceful skimming of data it contains, any cloning, or any remote reading.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Biometrics?
Biometrics is the unique and measurable physical characteristics of an individual that include face recognition, fingerprints, and iris scans.

The Philippine ePassport uses the digital image of the passport photograph that can be used with face recognition technology to verify the identity of the passport holder.

It also makes use of the fingerprints of the passport holder for identification using the Automated Fingerprint Verification System (AFIS).