Timeline for Weird MRZ code on my passport
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
17 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Mar 6 at 14:48 | comment | added | ave | @phoog I have no sources, merely anecdotes. I've been on enough border queues with people that have weaker passports, and seen people get scrutinized over every tiny detail (taking upwards of 10+ minutes). I am fairly sure that a weak passport (such as the Indian passport) with an invalid MRZ (such as OP) and no chip (such as the Indian passport) would lead to even more scrutiny, and potentially lead to the person not being admitted. | |
| Mar 4 at 18:53 | comment | added | phoog | @ave we have plenty of questions here from people whose passports didn't scan and they got a warning from the passport inspector before they were admitted. Which countries wouldn't take it? Can you cite any sources? | |
| Mar 3 at 17:19 | comment | added | user144439 | @phoog let me know your comments to the edited part of question | |
| Mar 3 at 15:54 | comment | added | user144439 | Hello All. Please see the edit your the question and give your recommendations. Thanks you! | |
| Mar 3 at 13:34 | comment | added | ave | @phoog It is a valid passport, but not a valid "machine readable travel document" as defined by ICAO 9303. Many countries won't take it, and many that might will give it a ton of scrutiny, especially as Indian regular passports aren't even eMRTDs (so can't be verified by checking the chip). | |
| Mar 3 at 12:25 | comment | added | Martheen | @Ife It's possible for apps to be flexible with the first row (since the last two columns are filler anyway unless someone has a very long name) and the second row (the last two columns are check digits, they're not necessary to read, only to verify there's no simple error on the data), however I'd expect official machine to follow the spec more closely. | |
| Mar 2 at 22:43 | comment | added | phoog | @jcaron and it is not at all clear to me that a passport with a faulty non-conforming MRZ would be unacceptable by any country that actually does require MRZs for entry, if there are in fact any such countries. I rather suspect that immigration officers everywhere encounter documents that can't be scanned for one reason or another and that they make do with entering the data manually. | |
| Mar 2 at 22:21 | comment | added | phoog | @jcaron the US requires passorts to be machine readable (e-passports, in fact) to qualify for the VWP. Otherwise, they don't have to be. And anyone who shows up with a passport that is designed to be machine readable but which cannot be scanned because of some fault is not going to be denied entry for that reason. The assertion that the passport is invalid is unnecessary, alarmist, and inaccurate. | |
| Mar 2 at 21:57 | comment | added | jcaron | @phoog many countries (like the US, I believe) require that the passport have an MRZ to be valid for entry. Clearly a passport with a non-confirming MRZ, while possibly a “real” passport and valid in the eyes of that country, would not be valid for entry into those countries. | |
| Mar 2 at 20:31 | comment | added | user144439 | I also tried using phone apps for the mrz reading. It seems most don't detect the mrz data. But, some apps detect the data properly, even with 2 x 42 format | |
| Mar 2 at 20:25 | comment | added | user144439 | Just FYI. I have traveled using this passport. The issue that I have seen is that, the officer is usually like "I gotta enter this info manually". Also another info: This was issued by the Consulate of India in US. Not sure if that makes any difference. | |
| Mar 2 at 20:03 | comment | added | Anish Sheela | @PeterM Not yet. I had got new passport last month. Still no e-passports. I think for official and diplomatic passports, they started it. | |
| Mar 2 at 19:43 | comment | added | phoog | "your document is not a valid passport": that is incorrect. The failure of an issuing authority to implement the ICAO standard on an individual document does not render the document invalid unless the issuing country's law says so. Obviously the officers who entered the data manually recognize this. | |
| Mar 2 at 19:18 | comment | added | Peter M | @AnishSheela I'm seeing multiple different sites online suggesting the E-passports started rolling out in India starting in 2021 | |
| Mar 2 at 19:03 | comment | added | Anish Sheela | Indian passport doesn't have 'chip'. | |
| Mar 2 at 18:56 | history | edited | Doc | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Mar 2 at 18:41 | history | answered | Doc | CC BY-SA 4.0 |