not2old

I understand that its been some 160 years since the first 'standardized paper British passport' was issued (wiki reference), why then today is there a need for the 'paper passport'?

There are photo card identifications for everything from 'charge cards, drivers license, social security, health cards, residence cards, even identity cards' some even have biometrics included - so why the need for a paper passport?

Is it possible to do away totally with paper passport and just have the 'photo ID biometric' travel card?

BritInParis

Because there needs to be somewhere to place your visas and entry stamps. Until the entire world moves onto a totally electronic visa and border entry/exit system then the passport booklet will continue.

not2old

if its a chip biometric passport type card, then surely a swipe or insert can update this information (visa, entry/exit information into the card (RAM), no different than changing a PIN number, which are RAM cards (Random Access Memory) devices?

There is no need for a paper document IMO, similarly, that is why passports now are biometric & have zip/swipe & look data on them which border control can update within a paper passport on their system. It can be done to a card travel document.

Too technical I suppose for this forum

Isismom

Can you imagine if the computer system broke down or went off line, easier to hack and fake things too, thats most likely why

Jerseygirl

I rather like my burgundy passport.

BritInParis

Biometric chips in ePassports are Read Only for a reason. Making them writable to store visa and entry/exit data would be terribly insecure - they'll be hacked within days of being released. And again it would require every nation on earth to have a suitably computerised immigration system which isn't going to happen for the foreseeable future.

lansbury

When I was working at Heathrow there was much talk about such a system. One was in at least in the developement stage. It was called Border Guard. It was still being worked on when I retired, but guess nothing came of it.

DaveLovesDee

As most government's either can't get any multi-million pound computer system to work properly, don't have the ability to do so, or are so corrupt/inept that anyone with a wad of cash/hackers could get into their computer system, then any internationally-linked system such as a passport database is only as secure as the weakest part of the system.

BritInParis

Interestingly the UK is one of only a handful of countries that even checks every passport at the border against Interpol's database of lost or stolen passports.

Interpol warned of danger posed by stolen passports - Telegraph

If countries aren't even willing to do this then we're a long way off even thinking about an internationally linked system for visas.