According to The Chicago Tribune, beginning at the end of 2005 all new passports will become electronic.  These new E-passports will not differ in appearance from current passports.  The only difference will be an electronic chip located in the back cover that contains all of the biometric information found on the data page of the passport.  Aside from the U.S., 27 other countries are implementing this plan, mostly Western European nations. These new passports are intended to be more secure, since the information on the passport data page must match the information in the electronic chip to verify that it has not been altered.

One of the possible obstacles of the new passport is the relative ease with which this information can be read without security control. Two of these security issues are “skimming” and “eavesdropping”. Ideally, an electronic passport should only be read from a few inches away, but anyone with the proper equipment might be able to skim information from several feet away without the knowledge of the passport holder.  Eavesdropping may occur in an airport with anyone who has an antenna and receiver and can intercept radio waves from up to 30 feet away.

These security concerns have been solved by new technology that will require the chip to be activated only when the information on the data page has been recognized by the electronic scanner of the passport reader. Another protective measure is the encryption of the data that can only be decrypted once it is received by the reader.  All current passports will still be valid until their expirations, but all newly-issued passports will be electronic. Citizens over 16 years of age applying for a new passport will be charged a $97 fee. Those under 16 years of age will be charged $82. The renewal fee is $67.