www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I just received my new electronic passport to replace my expired one. I sent in the request by regular mail with a check for $67 and the new passport came back to me in exactly 3 weeks. I was expecting more like 4 to 6 weeks.
Now I can start planning my Costa Rica travel for 2008.

_________________
NON ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM

DG

Hey DG
What is the difference between the new electronic passport and your old one? Mine has a bar code that they can scan. Any other differences?

_________________
Man Who Walk Through Airport Turnstile Sideways Going To Bangkok.

My renewal took exactly 7.5 weeks by regular mail.....so they must be getting better at it.

The new passports contain an electronic data chip.

Wrap that sucker in aluminum foil so it can't be read until it is supposed to be read.

My passport isn't up for renewal until 2010, but here's what I plan to do as soon as I get it:

Find a nice ball-peen hammer, then "texturize" my passport, making certain to pay close attention to the electronic RFID chip in the spine. A few strong taps, and it's destroyed. The passports will still have normal scanning features so all this does is give a nice F-U to immigration for choosing such a STUPID method. They just scan you like they always have, and shrug if they ask why the electronic chip isn't working.

They have no right to expose our identity information in this way. Imagine that you're walking through a crowded, American un-friendly country where they do things like kidnap you. You do NOT want a beacon that can be picked up with off the shelf components to mark you as a target.

If you want to destroy the RFID chip just microwave your passport - no need to tenderize it first.

It works!