What exactly are they? What info can a Migra computer read from a foreign passport? If it is the info stored on the bottom of front page, then isn't it very easy for forgers just to alter it?

I am being curious for various reasons. Mainly, my credit card was hit for $27K in Asia for a BEER purchase!!! (Now, I love beer but not to that extent! ) The merchant had a copy of "my" UK(I do not hold one) passport with a valid Malaysia entry stamp...

So, what exactly do these computers display when our passports get swiped by customs?

Can these machines tell when info on the printed front page does not match the info stored on the bottom of the front page?

The two lines of data at the bottom of the page only record the name, date of birth, nationality and passport (or visa) number of the traveler. Someone can compare the data printed on the front page to the data that would appear on the computer screen when the ppt/visa is scanned to make sure that they match. Although, the data arrangement on the machine readible lines is so standard that almost anyone can interpret with the naked eye what they mean.

So, there is no way for immigration to tell whether a passport is stolen if the scanned data matches what is printed on the front page of a passport?

Spider,

$27K for beer? OH MY!

Are you sure you did not have some prawns with that beer? That could explain the high cost...

I seem to remember you like prawns...

William

Correct. IIRC, the idea of machine readability was to speed up the entry process and reduce manual input errors. Once scanned, the data is checked for naughtiness (i.e reported stolen) and then throws up a warning.

This would indicate that data about stolen/altered passports has to be provided by Interpol. Otherwise, it seems to be difficult for various countries to advise each other about all stolen/lost travel documents.

Well, if you don't have a machine readable passport, get one! Article in LA Times over the weekend about how a woman was denied entry to the US because she didn't have one (some new rule; there have been threads on it somewhere).

Her family was allowed in (they were here for holiday); she was sent back. She didn't know about the new requirement or she could have gotten it in advance. She was able to get it w/in a week & came back over to join the family but had to pay extra for airfare etc. She said neither the travel agent nor the airline told her in advance or at the airport. Airline said they can't be expected to track each passenger's passport to see if it's in compliance.

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Sharon

Having read the LA times article I panicked and called the Aus consulate in LA to check that the passport they had just issued me was going to be OK. They said yes - and the two lines of arrows and text/code at the bottom is the machine readbility part.

So yes not particularly hard to forge. And yes only seems to speed up the entry (no hidden stuff from the naked eye). Another thread ( http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...ML/006719.html ) seems to suggest that machine readability also implies a database of passports held and shared by the issuing country with US which gets matched to the passport once scanned - again comparison could be done even if manually entered.

Who knows - a lot of times I think INS/DHS make a big deal of these security measures just to give the impression that they are achieving something in making US more secure - which upon closer analysis is more questionable. But maybe I am just cynical :-P

[This message has been edited by alect (edited 07-08-2003).]

Here is the deal:

The machine readable format has been around for at least ten years. It was standardized and agreed to by most countries that "count". The point of them is simple... Once "everyone" has them, every airport will then hopefully have scanners (not just in the US, after slowly proliferating for years, I see them more and more since 9/11). Not only does this speed things up, but it also cuts down on fake passports, passport numbers, misprints, mistakes, etc.

Many countries have been using different database systems for tracking o/d's. Not only have they not necessarily been compatible, but human error has played a big part (customs agents who are too lazy to punch in every passport, or who enter mistaken information). A quick scan, gets rid of most of these problems, and the automation that comes with it eliminates many fake passports from the system.

In recent times, a stolen US passport could be picked apart and "washed" within two hours. Even if it were immediately reported stolen, it could take as long as 6-8 weeks for the number to "show up" on screens even in many "modern" countries (Until two years ago at LHR for example if you looked inward at the Immigation officers desks, they would keep manually lists of "stolen" passports and numbers. This gave ample opportunity for someone to travel about. Once everything is online the window for these activities is zseverely curtailed.