An ePassport is a biometric passport which includes a chip, which can be used at the automated ePassport gates instead of having your passport checked by a Border Force officer. The chip holds the same information that is printed on the passport’s data page: the holder’s name, date of birth, and other biographic information. In some countries, including Germany, ePassports include two fingerprints as well.
ePassports are designed to increase security, making it more difficult to change data recorded on a passport and therefore limiting the chance of fraud. In addition, all e-Passports issued by Visa Waiver Program countries and the United States have security features to prevent the unauthorized reading or “skimming” of data stored on the e-Passport chip.
