October 11, 2026, 6:14 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Passports contain numerous personal details—not only visible on the document page but also digitally on a chip. Some travelers fear that criminals could secretly read this data and even resort to using aluminum foil. However, according to the Federal Office for Information Security, such additional protection is not necessary.
Chip in Passport is Protected Against Secret Reading
Name, date of birth, passport photo, and other personal data are also stored on a chip in passports and ID cards. The machine readability of the documents can, for example, ensure that border controls proceed more quickly.
The fact that the information can be read via radio waves still causes concern for some travelers. As a result, the internet often recommends wrapping the passport in aluminum foil. The foil is supposed to shield the electromagnetic signals exchanged between the chip and a reader.
According to the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), this is not necessary. The agency points to the security mechanisms PACE and BAC, which are designed to prevent the chips from being read without direct access. All passports and ID cards use what is known as Password Authenticated Connection Establishment (PACE), according to BSI. The older method, Basic Access Control (BAC), is supported in older passports only “for historical compatibility reasons.”
Both security mechanisms, according to BSI, ensure that a passport or ID card cannot simply be read through a jacket pocket, for example.
RFID Sleeve as an Alternative to Aluminum Foil
Those who feel more comfortable with additional shielding do not need to resort to kitchen aluminum foil. Special RFID sleeves are a more practical and durable way to shield the passport.
However, even such sleeves do not offer comprehensive protection against identity theft. The telecommunications portal Teltarif.de points out other risks: “Other risks—such as losing the document, a photographed passport, or phishing attacks—are not eliminated by this.”