Polycarbonate e-passport

A polycarbonate e-passport is a type of travel document that features a biometric data page made from polycarbonate, a durable plastic material, rather than a laminated paper sheet. This construction offers enhanced protection for the passport’s electronic components and personal data. By laser-engraving information into the inner layers of the plastic, polycarbonate e-passports significantly improve resistance to counterfeiting and offer greater durability and reliability compared to traditional laminated pages.^[1][2][3]

Examples of polycarbonate data pages

Australian passport

German passport

Austrian passport

United States passport

Finland was the first country to introduce a passport with a polycarbonate data page in 1997.^[4] Sweden followed shortly after, becoming the first to implement a biometric polycarbonate data page during the early adoption of e-passports. Since then, the design has gradually been adopted around the world.^[5]

As of 2019, over 40 countries have transitioned from laminated paper biometric data pages to polycarbonate alternatives in their passports.^[6]

See also

• Biometric passport