Not quite.

I have the new issued Swiss passport book and Swiss ID passport card. Both have visable signatures, issuance Canton, and validity dates easily read on the front and back.

The card can be used as a passport within Europe, under the terms of the Schengen agreement, which Switzerland has adopted. For the English readers in the link below.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13194723

The passport book is for travel beyond Europe, such as the US. The RFID chip is also included for both.

The new passport and card are form-followed, or mirror the US RFID standard, as do other countries now using biometric passport and identification. That technology did not originate here but in the US, in fact there was, and still is some concern about adopting it by some of our citizens. But that was the purpose, it has been adopted and is now the official standard.


I agree with tfar's concern, and tentseller's statement. One of the benefits of the RFID is that the US Embassy and Consulate were notified electronically when the 5 passports had arrived (Customs) in the country. If notified that they were lost in a timely fashion, the passports can be replaced, with the originals electronically blocked. Possibly even traced.