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Answered By: Reference Librarian
Last Updated: Apr 20, 2026     Views: 9008

New Passports

2021 marked the start of the "Next Generation" passport, which has some significant changes from the previous appearance of the passport book.  These changes are described here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/passport-help/next-generation-passport.html

You may note that the main photo is now black and white and etched into the plastic page, rather than a color print attached to the page, and there is a holographic "variable feature" over a portion of the photo.  This is not a printing error, but a security feature. There is a second page that has a color photo of you on a paper page.   

The photos may appear fuzzy or odd, but that is not abnormal and will not cause the passport to be rejected at travel gates

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