How does an Electronic Passport facilitate travel?
• Automated identity verification; • Faster immigration inspections; and • 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 theVisa 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? Several other nations have begun or will begin to issue e-passports. The Visa Waiver Program countries have already done so. What happens if an Electronic Passport is lost or stolen? Any passport that is lost or stolen should be reported immediate
