What information is in a passport's Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ) versus its embedded RFID chip?

The MRZ (optically read text at the bottom) holds document type, issuing country, name, passport number, nationality, birth date, sex, expiry, and check digits; the chip additionally stores biometrics, a digital signature, and crypto keys.

* MRZ optical fields versus the additional data held only on the RFID chip. *

Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ) — the optically readable strip at the bottom of the passport — contains: document type (P for passport), issuing country (3-letter code), name, passport number, nationality, date of birth, sex, expiry date, and various check digits for validation.

RFID chip (additionally) stores: biometric data (high-res face image, optionally 2 fingerprints), a digital signature to verify data integrity, cryptographic keys for authentication and encryption, and a write area for future uses like electronic visas.

Tip: The MRZ matters cryptographically, not just as printed text: as you'll see with BAC, the chip's access key is derived from MRZ fields (passport number + birth date + expiry) — so reading the chip first requires optically reading the MRZ.

Go deeper:

• Machine-readable passport (Wikipedia) — the MRZ field layout and check digits.