Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS A MACHINE-READABLE PASSPORT?

Look at the data page of your passport (the page with your name and photograph). A machine-readable passport has two parallel lines of letters and numbers entered on the data page according to an international standard, as in the example below. If you have questions about your passport, you may want to contact the passport issuing agency in your country of citizenship.

All Singapore passports issued in Singapore since January 2, 1991 are machine-readable. Non-machine-readable Singapore passports continued to be issued at overseas missions until October 18, 1999. These passports are normally handwritten and do not possess the machine-readable zone.

After October 26, 2004 all travelers entering the United States under the Visa Waiver Program must have a machine-readable passport.