The e-passport is coming. The e-passport is coming.
After much ado, the United States has begun or will begin issuing passports with RFID chips in them.
The passports now have some anti-skimming features, including Basic Access Control and some sort of internal tin-foil hat.
But the chips are readily clonable, and some security experts still aren't sure they are a good idea. Also, it's just plain creepy to be on the same level as a pallet from WalMart.
You might still be able to get a passport without the chip and that passport will be good for 10 years -- long enough to get you to the point where new passports will be RFID chips implanted in your neck.
Travel privacy guru Edward Hasbrouckhad a good post up in May about how to maximize your chances of getting a chip-less passport, which involves a little extra money anda refundable ticket. The trick still might work.
You can also make sure your passport lasts longer by including with your application a written letter that says you need extra pages.
The government's page on getting a new passport is here, and renewals are here, but so far, the State Department hasn't returned my call asking if they are actually issuing the passports, though the last report I read was that they were starting with the Denver office.
Photo: Jesse Edwards
