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The security of international travel depends on trustworthy documents and systems of international cooperation and information exchange. International standards are necessary for an effective global passport and visa system. This Section will discuss important policy questions and practices for the production and management of credible international travel documents.
The equipment chosen to operate the system, its costs, how it will be acquired, the level of security to be achieved in the documents, and the design of the issuing process are all open to review and will be explored in this Section.
The international community, through the UN and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), has established expectations, practices, and standards for international travel and its attendant documentation. Advice and assistance is available through ICAO and bilaterally. Every State may contribute to the harmonization of international standards as set out by ICAO and to the security of travel through a commitment to the enhanced security and credibility of its own documents.
Background
Passports and visas are official documents that enable people to travel legally across national borders. The role of a passport is to identify citizens of a State for the benefit of foreign countries, and to guarantee
their right of return. National passports for citizens and visa systems for non-residents manage the orderly movement of people between States on a temporary or permanent basis.
The movement to standardize passports that began decades ago as an efficiency measure has now evolved into a crucial security tool as well. Greater security measures are being introduced by many States in response to the threat of global terrorism. Many countries are assessing the need to upgrade the quality and security of their passport and visa systems in response to global security threats.
Increased security is one of the highest priorities for governments and transportation carriers. The foundation for international travel security is proof of identity and citizenship. The passport is also important for the protection and support of a State’s citizens abroad.
What You Need To Know About Travel Documents
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The reliability of the basic documentation required to obtain a passport or visa is key to the credibility of the system.
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The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN body of over 180 members, sets the standards for passports and other travel documents, including visas.
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Security features for machine-readable passports, travel documents, and visas are constantly evolving and becoming increasingly sophisticated. The increased costs are being transferred to the user—the international traveller.
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Machine-readable passports, machine-readable travel documents, and machine-readable visas are of benefit to government agencies responsible for examining travellers, to transportation carriers, and to travellers themselves. ICAO has adopted specifications for machine-readable passports, machinereadable travel documents, and machine-readable visas that are in use or being introduced by 110 countries.
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Passport and visa documents are only as good as the weakest link in the systems that produce and manage them.
Your State’s passports, travel documents, and visas are important to how your State is perceived in the international community. By making these documents highly secure, your State contributes to the fight against international crime and terrorism.
Changes by a State to its passport and visa system will result from:
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understanding the current system
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identifying what needs changing
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deciding whether to change the system and how to change it.
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Terms and Concepts
Machine-readable travel documents permit the use of Advance Passenger Information (API) systems by enabling airlines to electronically send a passenger list to customs, immigration, and other authorities at the destination. This allows border officials to process the passenger information in advance of the flight arrival.
Actions taken to ensure that a travel document is genuine. Authentication can include biometric technology applied to a Machine-readable Travel Document (MRTD).
Physical characteristics including facial geometry, a fingerprint, or the iris are inserted in a Machinereadable Travel Document (MRTD) in a way that permits them to be compared with the document holder as he or she uses the document. This provides a means of authenticating the document by proving that it is legitimate because the holder is the rightful bearer. Individual biometric information may also be stored in a database or ID card to authenticate a visa-exempt traveller who is prescreened for entry.
Describes the format of a machine-readable passport
A machine-readable passport or travel card issued in a credit card size format
A small wafer of conductive material, capable of data storage and processing that can be added to travel documents. The chip will interact with a document reader to aid in authentication and/or verification.
A fixed dimension page in a machine-readable passport that contains a standardized presentation of visual and machine-readable data
The insertion of a facial image into a machine-readable travel document by means of a computer that prints the photograph directly onto the identification page or insert
An ICAO publication that provides specifications for machine-readable travel documents. It is currently published in three parts:
The process of creating a single unified approach to travel document specifications
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): a UN body of over 180 members that sets the standards for passports and other travel documents, including visas
International Electrotechnical Commission
International Organization for Standardization
Machine-readable Passport
Machine-readable Travel Document: an official document issued by a State or Organization that is used by the holder for international travel. This document will contain required visual (eye readable) data and a separate mandatory data summary in a format that is capable of being read by machine.
Machine-readable Visa
Machine-readable Zone of a machine-readable travel document or visa
The style of Optical Character Recognition printing adopted for use in the machine-readable zone of a machine-readable travel document
An official document issued by a State to grant permission to the person(s) identified in the passport for travel, re-admission, and protection while abroad
Request For Information; a process by which the TAG/MRTD asks industry to present the latest technologies that may be useful in machine-readable travel documents
The International Civil Aviation Organization’s Technical Advisory Group on Machine Readable Travel Documents Verification Actions to ensure that the person bearing a travel document is the rightful bearer
A temporary or permanent endorsement of the bona fides of travellers issued to show that they have met the requirements for admission to a State where they are not a national
Visual Inspection Zone of a machine-readable travel document
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