Passports are government-issued documents for identification during international travel. They have security features such as biometric chips, holograms, and special inks. The US and UK have biometric passports, while Canada plans to introduce them in 2012. Passports contain travel data and pages, and can be verified by border officials.
A passport is a government-issued document used for identification, primarily during international travel. Due to border security and identity theft issues, governments have added security features to these documents so that a valid passport can be distinguished from a fraudulent one. These features may vary by country, but some of the most common ways to verify a passport are to search for biometric chips, holograms, special inks, and barcodes.
Since August 2007, the United States has been using e-passports. To verify such a passport, first examine the cover. The background should be dark blue with the Great Seal of the United States in the center and the words “official passport” at the top and “The United States of America” below the seal. At the bottom is the international biometric chip logo, a solid rectangle broken by a horizontal line and a circle around a filled circle in the center.
Inside a US passport are travel data, signatures and pages. The bottom of the data page is machine readable, and border officials can verify a person’s passport by ensuring that the scanned information matches that stored on the biometric chip and printed on the signature and data pages. US passports generally come with 32 travel pages, but citizens can add more for a fee.
Like the US, the UK now issues biometric passports. A genuine UK-issued passport features a burgundy cover with the words ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ across the top, the seal of the United Kingdom in the center and the word ‘passport’ and the international biometric chip logo in the bottom . Some UK passports feature the words “European Union” across the top. The pages contained within are very similar to US passport pages, except that UK passports contain both English and French.
Canada does not plan to introduce e-passports until the year 2012. To verify a passport issued in Canada before that time, look for holograms on the information page, color-changing ink, and photos and information that are printed digitally and cannot be deleted. The last feature used to verify a passport from Canada is the so-called “ghost” photo, which is a duplicate of the regular passport photo that can only be seen under ultraviolet light. The cover should be navy blue with “Canada” at the top, Royal Arms of Canada in the center and the words “passport/passport” at the bottom. The inside pages also feature information fields in English and French, just like the front cover.
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