Check any official border control website such as US Customs and Border Protection, and you’ll see a clear requirement: travelers must present a machine readable passport when entering under the Visa Waiver Program. While alternatives exist for those without one, these documents have become a near-universal standard in global travel.
In 2025, as many countries roll out digital ID systems, the machine readable passport feels like a classic in the world of identity verification. But its story, from introduction to worldwide adoption, reveals why it’s still relevant today.
What Is a Machine Readable Passport?
A machine readable passport (MRP) is a type of machine readable travel document defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Doc 9303. Its design ensures that both humans and automated systems can quickly verify the document holder’s identity.
According to ICAO standards, the key features of a machine readable passport include:
- TD3-size booklet – 125 x 88 mm, with at least eight pages including a data page.
- Data page layout – Personal details must be placed within a defined inner rectangle to allow consistent visual and machine reading.
- Seven mandatory zones – Including the Visual Inspection Zone (VIZ) with the holder’s photo, personal data, and the machine readable zone of passport (MRZ) for automated reading.
- Embedded portrait – Photos must be integrated into the biodata page using secure personalization methods—stick-on or affixed photos are not permitted.
- Latin alphabet and Arabic numerals – With transliteration for other scripts. Optional fields can appear in national languages plus English, French, or Spanish.
- Validity period – Typically up to five years for minors, and up to ten years for adults.
- Machine readable zone of passport – Encodes key VIZ details such as name, date of birth, nationality, and includes check digits for error detection and fraud prevention.
From January 1, 2026, ICAO requires more detailed document codes in both MRZ and VIZ:
- “PP” for ordinary passports
- “PE” for emergency passports
- Other two-letter codes for special categories
These updates help improve accuracy in automated checks and international interoperability.
Why Machine Readable Passports Were Introduced
Before MRPs, passports varied widely between countries—different layouts, languages, data fields, and security features. This inconsistency slowed border control and increased the risk of identity theft through counterfeit or altered documents.
The ICAO began working on machine readable travel documents in 1968 to solve these problems. The first edition of Doc 9303 was published in 1980, with Australia, Canada, and the US leading early adoption. By April 1, 2010, ICAO required all member states to issue MRPs. Human-readable passports remained valid until late 2015, but a few countries used them beyond that date.
After the events of 9/11, global focus on stronger identity verification led to new features, including contactless chips and biometrics—setting the stage for the next generation of passports.
What Is a Biometric Passport?
A biometric passport, officially known as an electronic machine readable travel document (eMRTD), builds on the MRP format by adding a contactless RFID chip. This chip securely stores:
- The passport holder’s personal data from the VIZ
- One or more biometric identifiers, most commonly a digital facial image, but sometimes fingerprints or iris scans
- A digital signature to ensure data integrity
Biometric passports are marked with the “chip inside” symbol on the cover and often on the data page. The chip’s contents are protected by encryption and verified through Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
PKI works by:
- Each country having a Country Signing Certification Authority (CSCA) that issues Document Signer Certificates (DSCs)
- DSCs signing a Security Object (SOD) stored on the chip
- Other countries verifying the digital signature during border control to confirm the data hasn’t been altered
Technologies like Basic Access Control (BAC) and Password Authenticated Connection Establishment (PACE) are used to protect the connection when reading the chip via NFC. While BAC is older, PACE is now the standard for new passports.
What’s the Difference Between a Biometric and Machine Readable Passport?
Understanding the difference between biometric and machine readable passport formats is essential for travelers and organizations:
| Feature | Machine Readable Passport (MRP) | Biometric Passport (eMRTD) |
| Data format | Printed personal data + MRZ | Printed personal data + MRZ + chip data |
| Chip | No | Yes, stores VIZ data & biometrics |
| Biometric identifiers | None | At least one (facial image), sometimes fingerprints or iris |
| Security features | MRZ check digits, physical security elements | All MRP features + PKI authentication for chip data |
| Verification | OCR scanning of MRZ and VIZ comparison | OCR + chip reading + biometric matching |
| Processing speed | Fast | Slightly longer due to chip reading but more secure |
In short:
- All biometric passports are machine readable, but not all MRPs are biometric.
- Biometric passports offer enhanced security by linking the physical document to the traveler’s biometric information.
Challenges in Verifying Machine Readable Passports
While MRPs standardized many aspects of passport design, challenges remain:
- Variations in VIZ design – Different fonts, layouts, and optional fields can complicate automated OCR.
- Truncated names in MRZ – Long names may be shortened, requiring intelligent matching during verification.
- Inconsistent security features – Countries may apply ICAO guidelines differently, leading to variation in holograms, ghost images, or placement of signatures.
Solutions like Regula’s verification tools use a global document template database covering over 15,000 ID types from 252 countries and territories to handle these variations accurately.
Will Machine Readable Passports Become Obsolete?
MRPs have been in use since the 1980s, and while biometric passports are now the gold standard, not all countries have completed the transition. India, for example, only began issuing biometric passports in late 2024.
The next step is ICAO’s Digital Travel Credential (DTC) concept, a hybrid model combining a physical passport with a secure digital copy stored on a mobile device. While promising, DTC adoption faces technical, interoperability, and infrastructure challenges.
Given the slow pace of such global transitions, machine readable passports will remain a standard for at least another decade, even as biometric and digital credentials expand.
Conclusion
The machine readable passport transformed border control by introducing a standardized, scannable format that made identity verification faster and more secure. The arrival of the biometric passport added encrypted chip-based data and biometric identifiers for even stronger protection.
For now, both formats coexist, with biometric passports gradually replacing older MRPs. But full digitalization will take time, and MRPs will continue to play a crucial role in international travel for years to come.
