A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport (hence the e-, as in e-mail) that uses biometrics to authenticate the identity of travellers. It uses contactless smart card technology, including a microprocessor chip (computer chip) and antenna (for both power to the chip and communication) embedded in the front or back cover, or centre page, of the passport. Document and chip characteristics are documented in the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) Doc 9303.

The passport's critical information is both printed on the data page of the passport and stored in the chip. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is used to authenticate the data stored electronically in the passport chip making it virtually impossible to forge.

All passports now issued in the UK are ‘biometric’. Biometric details are those which are unique to you – like your fingerprint, the iris of your eye, and your facial features.

The biometric details in British passports

The chip inside the passport contains information about the holder’s face – such as the distances between eyes, nose, mouth and ears. These details are taken from the passport photograph that you supply. They can then be used to identify the passport-holder. The chip also holds the information that is printed on the personal details page of your passport.

How the biometric passport is used

The chip containing the biometric and personal details has an antenna that means it can be read electronically. Biometric checks can be used at border controls, especially at automated passport control gates, and also by the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) to check the image on passport renewal applications against images held on record.

How the data is protected and your details kept safe

The data on the chip is protected in three ways, with:

The chips can only be read at a few centimetres’ distance from a chip reader – so they cannot be accidentally read.