In July 1988, changes were made to ease the introduction of machine-readable passports later in the year.
It is also believed that Philippine machine-readable passports will be used in the fight against terrorism.
Below is an example of how the biographical data page in a machine-readable passport might look:
In 1981, the United States became the first country to introduce machine-readable passports.
The "Form 97-2" ordinary Chinese passport is a machine-readable passport.
The first machine-readable passports have been issued in 2003.
When machine-readable passports were introduced on 1 June 1990, the cover colour was changed to burgundy.
Since the introduction of machine-readable passports, family passports are no longer issued.
Since 2003, only machine-readable passports with a digitalized photo of the passport holder are issued.
The two lines at the bottom of a machine-readable passport, for example, would look like the following: