San Francisco gets e-passport readers

San Francisco International Airport became the first airport in the US to start operating e-passport readers earlier this week.

Initiated by the department of homeland security, the San Francisco installation is the first in a series which will eventually see all US international airports operate the systems.

A congressional deadline of October 26th of this year requires all US ports of entry to authenticate information in e-passports issued by the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP).

An e-passport has the international symbol of the e-passport on the front and features a contactless chip with the holder's biographic information and a biometric identifier.

The e-passports also have a vital security feature which prevents the skimming of information contained in the chip.

Some of the countries which participate in the VWP include New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

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