Machine Readable Passport

The Machine Readable Passport (MRP) is a passport where the personal details of the applicant are printed in such a way that the passport can be read by the naked eye and has a “machine readable zone” containing the personal data of the passport holder that can be read by a machine or computer.

Features

The new Machine Readable Passport (MRP) is colored maroon and consists of 44 pages. The data page of the MRP is now fully printed.

The MRP also has the following security features: watermarked paper, colored UV fibers, UV reactive inks, special designs, microtexts, laser perforated numbers, ultrathin laminates resistant to forgery and chemical, thermal and mechanical attacks, letter screen, invisible personal information and holograms, among others.

Photo Requirements

The passport photo should be taken against a royal blue color background instead of a white background. This new requirement is necessary because the security feature encoded in the printed photograph of the holder is more pronounced against a royal blue background.

New Passport Photo Requirements For The Machine Readable Passport

  1. Recent Photo: Photograph should have been taken from a photo studio within the last six (6) months. Photos taken from Photo-Me machines shall not be accepted.
  2. Size: Photograph size is 4.5 x 3.5 cms:
  3. Background Color: Royal Blue
  4. Pose: Full frontal
  5. Image Size: Image of the applicant should occupy approximately 70 – 80% of the photograph.
  6. Cropping: There should be at least 8 mm – 10 mm space at the top of the photo between the edge of the photo and the crown/head of the person to allow for “cropping” of the photo.
  7. Matte Paper Preferred: Photograph should be printed on good quality photo paper, preferably matte.
  8. Clean And Clear Photograph: Photograph should be free from ink marks, dirt, grease, finger prints and paste stains.
  9. Use Of Collared Shirt: Applicant’s photograph should show him/her wearing decent attire with collar (no short sleeves/sleeveless/ plunging necklines for women).
  10. Eyeglasses: Use of eyeglasses is acceptable provided there is no glare from the glasses and the eyes are distinctly shown.
  11. Ears Should Be Visible: As much as possible, both ears of the applicant should be visible.
  12. Head Scarf/ Veil: Use of head scarf for religious or medical reasons is allowed (i.e., Muslim women/nuns/cancer patients with hair loss/ Alopecia). However, the scarf should not cover the eyebrows/eyes.
  13. Caps/ Headgears: Use of caps or head gear is not allowed.
  14. Use Of Contact Lenses: Use of contact lenses for medical reasons is all right PROVIDED the contact lenses do not change the applicant’s true eye color.
  15. Use Of Earrings: Use of earrings is acceptable for women ONLY provided the earrings are small.

The following photos are automatically rejected:

  • Photo with red eye effect
  • Dirty photos
  • Image of the face is either too big or too small
  • Wrong background color
  • Poor quality photo (washed out image/ unnatural skin tone)
  • Photo does not resemble applicant