NXP chips in German ePassports

In the second phase of the ePassport specification European Union member states are expected to include digital biometric information in the form of two fingerprints on all ePassports. Building on the success of the German ePassport scheme originally introduced in November 2005, the new SmartMX chip enables biometric data to be securely stored on the passport, creating an even stronger link between the document and its owner. NXP has so far shipped around 4.5 million ePassport chip solutions consisting of chip, chip operating system and inlay to the German passport producing company, Bundesdruckerei GmbH. Worldwide, NXP is involved in more than 80 percent of all ePassport schemes, having shipped over 100 million ICs to date. 43 out of 51 countries are using NXP smart chip technology including US, France and Singapore.