new passport
 

just got my new "electronically chipped" passport in the mail.

can anyone tell me why the complete set of instructions is in Spanish???

WTF??? i'm sorry, but that just totally pi$$ed me off....

See what happens if you put it in the microwave oven for a few seconds.

Because that will be the primary language for the United States in a few years!

I didn't know one needed instructions to use a passport.

Paranoid are we?

According to Wired:

"But be careful – tampering with a passport is punishable by 25 years in prison . . . Forget about nuking it in the microwave – the chip could burst into flames, leaving telltale scorch marks. Besides, have you ever smelled burnt passport? . . . The best approach? Hammer time. Hitting the chip with a blunt, hard object should disable it. A nonworking RFID doesn’t invalidate the passport, so you can still use it."

But some of us actually want to pass through immigration without problems & as fast as possible.

Ian

Try sending it to the dry cleaner for starters, won't hurt to try and it's an innocent mistake.

The passport card comes with an RFID proof sleeve...You can keep your regular passport in a static free baggie...

And in about 9 years, ALL US passports will be chipped (due to 10 year renewal). Don't you think at some point the chip might be necessary to validate it without delays/interviews etc? And for those of us that use them on a regular basis (frequent business travel), anything that speeds the process is good. I have been finger printed, palm printed, eyeball scanned & now dual eyeball scanned in different US Immigration programs to speed the border process.

As for identity theft, I had both passports stolen 6 months ago. I leave a trail of VISA receipts behind me. I post crap about myself on forums. If it happens, I will deal with it.

Ian

I went through the background check, etc, which allows me to bypass the Immigration lines at most major airports in the USA. You also get to use the lane for Crew at Customs. You put your passport into an ATM like machine, answer a couple of questions and you're done.

Grab the bags, then go for the crew line. If you do get caught smuggling something, you are screwed 10 times worse, since you are supposed to know better...

Which program is that, James? I have seen some express lanes for security in DEN & ATL etc.

I clear US Customs & Immigration in Toronto so Nexus lets me jump the line in both directions. Other than that, they have a security lane for FF but it is usually little better than the rest.

Ian

I nuked mine, but my crew ID let's me zip though anyway.

Global Entry. You need to be a US Citizen or Permanent resident to use. There is talk about cross programming it for Nexus and Privium.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Travel