College of Law

An electronic passport is defined as a passport that contains a unique microchip (RFID chip) that carries a person’s electronic (vital) data, such as a digital map of the face, fingerprints, or iris scan (iris scan) due to its technological importance. The electronic passport is also known as a biometric passport. The electronic passport also contains a plastic card, a magnetic chip, the size of a “SIM card”, universal for all passports in the countries of the world that adopt these passports. It contains all personal information (name, address, date of birth, etc.) and a picture printed on the card. This image was created by Laser engraving, which is therefore non-removable, as well as “globalized information” with all the occurrences of the holder of the passport, not the least of which is the eye print and a picture of the features of the area around the nose, the area around the mouth, the lips, the forehead lines, the rounds for the bottom of the chin and all the smiles and biological features related to the face, as well To a large number of almost countless advantages for the owner of the passport.
The importance of the electronic passport appears in its reflection on enhancing confidence in the security of electronic passports, both physically and electronically. The data page in the tangible physical passport can be matched with the data stored on the electronic chip, while it is possible to apply facial recognition technology to the image of the passenger upon his arrival. Advantages of the electronic passport:
1. Security, no one can impersonate another person, although the chip on the card can be detected from a few meters away, but it is impossible to capture data without obtaining the passport, as the maximum scanning range is within 10 centimeters Just.
2. Reduce forgery, forging your electronic data is more expensive and difficult than anyone might think, no third party can store any verification data on the chip anyway because it uses PKI encryption technology, the encryption key will not be issued This is fake data, and it will be detected immediately.
3. Allowing passage through the electronic passport gates at the border control points in the country of origin and taking the fast track procedures to return to the homeland, as the device scans the person’s data and uses facial recognition technology to match it with the data to provide the utmost speed and convenience.
Article (4) of the Iraqi Foreigners’ Residence Law No. (76) of 2017 states, “The residence officer at the residence and passport centers at the Iraqi border crossings must refer any foreigner who was intending to enter Iraqi territory if it was proven in his passport or travel document that there was a distortion in the personal data or Iraqi and non-Iraqi visas, or tampering with the photo affixed in the passport or his travel document to the competent authorities for investigation, taking into account the principle of reciprocity.
The electronic gates of the electronic passport contain many security features, the most important of which is their reliance on the information contained in the smart chip for each traveler. Changing or falsifying it, and the gate will not open in the event of a travel ban sign, information discrepancy, or any other security indicators, and therefore the gate will work as an electronic security guard, and prevent the illegal entry of a person into the country, and Article (26) of the Law stipulates Residence of foreigners in Iraq as (the Director General or his authorized representative has the authority to remove a foreigner who illegally entered the territory of the Republic of Iraq outside the borders).
More than 140 countries are currently issuing electronic passports or (eMRTDs), bringing the number of electronic passports currently in circulation and machine-readable electronic travel documents to “one billion” electronic passports. Among the Arab countries that adopt electronic passports are Morocco, Algeria, and currently Iraq.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations organization headquartered in Montreal, Canada, has developed a guide to the public keys for the electronic passport.
a.m.d. Zina Hazem Al-Jubouri
(The electronic passport and its impact on the movement of foreigners)
A community study submitted to the Directorate of Civil Status, Passports and Residence in Nineveh