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Machine-readable Passport




A machine readable passport (MRP) is a Passport where the data on the identity page is encoded in Optical Character Recognition format.

Many countries began to issue MRPs in the 1980s although the roll-out of the technology to smaller overseas missions was slow in many instances.

Between 2003 and 2005 the United States progressively introduced regulations that make machine readable passports mandatory for those entering the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Scheme .

The advantages of machine readable passports include:

  • more secure, compared to the handwritten passports that preceded them

  • faster processing of arriving passengers by immigration officials



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