Malaysia was the first country in the world to introduce a chip-enabled passport (1998). The second generation passport, which was introduced in 2002, additionally featured a biometric, in the form of a thumbprint. A little under two years later, Malaysia is on the verge of introducing its third generation passport, which fully complies with last year`s ICAO recommendations. This article describes the ins and outs of chip-enabled biometric passports, and the challenges that issuing authorities will face in implementing the ICAO guidelines.