ICAO’s New Technologies Working Group (NTWG) has spent the last few years assessing the most suitable biometric for travel documents, drafting technical reports and finding solutions to secure and protect the electronic data carrier. Following extensive research and careful evaluation, the group put forward the contactless integrated circuit chip as the most suitable storage medium for passport applications. However, because the inclusion of contactless chips in travel documents was not – at that time – governed by ISO standards, the group immediately faced another challenge. Apart from highlighting the most suitable positions to embed a contactless chip in a passport, this article discusses the introduction of a new symbol that makes it much easier to recognise e-passports.