How do I know if my passport is biometric?
Verified 12 December 2022 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister), Ministry of the Interior
Your passport has been lost or stolen? Before applying for renewal, it is important to know whether the passport was biometric. If this is the case, you will not need to provide again the documents related to your civil status and nationality.
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Your passport was issued after June 2009
Any passport issued since 29 june 2009 is a biometric passport.
On the cover of a biometric passport, the word passport is underlined.
It was issued between April 2006 and June 2009
Any passport issued since 29 June 2009 is a biometric passport.
Type of passport | Secure title? | Description | Period of entry into service (in mainland) |
|---|---|---|---|
Biometric passport | YES | On the cover, the word passport is underlined Under the word passport is a secure symbol (circle inside a rectangle) Photo reproduced twice on the same page | First implementation: 31 October 2008 (by department) Generalization: 29 June 2009 |
Electronic passport | YES | On the cover, the word passport is not underlined. Under the word passport is a secure symbol (circle inside a rectangle) Photo reproduced twice on the same page | Last put into circulation: June 2009 |
Delphine Passport (optically readable) | NO | On the cover, inscription of words European Union Photo page: in landscape mode. 36 numbered pages | Last put into circulation: April 2006 |
It was issued before April 2006
There are 3 possible situations:
Type of passport | Secure title? | Description | Period of entry into service (in mainland) |
|---|---|---|---|
Electronic passport | YES | On the cover, the word passport is not underlined. Under the word passport is a secure symbol (circle inside a rectangle) Photo reproduced twice on the same page | Last put into circulation: June 2009 |
Optical Delphine Passport | NO | On the cover, inscription of words European Union Photo page: in landscape mode. 36 numbered pages | Last put into circulation: April 2006 |
Old Model | NO | On the cover, inscription of words European Community Photo page: in portrait mode. | Last put into circulation: end of 2002 |