# EU Laissez-Passer (EU-LP) — Technical Specification

**Document Type:** Technical Specification  
**Version:** 1.0  
**Last Updated:** 2024-12-28  
**Status:** Reference Documentation

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## 1) Legal & Governance

* **Instrument:** Council Regulation (EU) No 1417/2013 (form, issuance, recognition; replaces 1826/69). Does **not** itself grant privileges/immunities. Recognised by EU Member States; recognition in third countries via agreements.

* **Standards Basis:** Must meet the same **security standards/technical specs** as Member-State passports; aligned to **ICAO Doc 9303** (MRTD/eMRTD).

* **Issuing & Lifecycle:** Centralised enrolment, personalisation, delivery, and end-of-life (destruction) run by the European Commission on behalf of all EU issuing institutions.

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## 2) Form Factor & Construction

* **Booklet Type:** Single booklet, **TD3 passport size**.

* **Dimensions:** **88 mm × 125 mm** (W×H). **Pages:** **48**. **Cover:** blue; hot-foil stamping; flexible plastic cover.

* **Validity:** Up to **6 years** (min 12 months). **No extensions.** **Provisional LP** possible up to **12 months**; its chip **may omit fingerprints**.

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## 3) Data Page, MRZ & Document Identifiers

* **Visual Data (Core):**
  - Surname
  - Given names
  - Date/place of birth
  - Sex
  - Nationality
  - Document number
  - Dates of issue/expiry
  - Issuing authority
  - Holder signature
  - Primary colour photo plus ghost image

* **Function Line (Page 4):** Optional **"Function"** entry (e.g., Ambassador, Minister Counsellor, Attaché, etc.), including flags for **Family member** or **Temporary laissez-passer**.

* **Issuer Code (MRZ):** **EUE** (European Union). **Document Category (PRADO):** T (travel) / S (service/official/special).

* **MRZ Format:** ICAO **TD3** (2 lines × 44 chars) per Doc 9303; standard passport MRZ content/field ordering applies.

* **Known MRZ Deviation (Historic):** For German nationals, nationality field value change from **DEU** (pre-2022) to **D<<** (post-2022) to align with Doc 9303 Part 3; documented on the EU-LP CSCA site.

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## 4) Electronic Document (Chip) & Biometrics

* **Type:** **Contactless IC** (eMRTD) embedded in datapage; ICAO-conforming. Stores digital **face image** + **two fingerprints** (except possible omission for provisional LPs).

* **Access Control & Trust:**
  - **EU-LP PKI:** Country Signing Certificate Authority (CSCA) operated by the **European Commission JRC**; publishes CSCA certificates, link certificates and CRLs (PEM; SHA-256/SHA-1 fingerprints posted).
  - **EAC/Extended Access:** Commission notes **extended access control** infrastructure for inspection systems.
  - **ICAO PKD:** EU is a **member since 7 Nov 2017**; CSCA "**EUE**" available to PKD participants for global validation.

* **Current CSCA Materials:**
  - **Current CSCA Self-Signed:** Released **27 Jul 2020**, valid to **27 Oct 2031**; SHA-256 fingerprint published.
  - **New CSCA (2025 Series):** Released **10 Apr 2025**, valid to **10 Jul 2036**; to be active by **Jul 2025** (with link cert).
  - **CRL:** Latest CRL publication dates and validity windows listed on the CSCA page.

**CSCA Resources:**
- Portal: https://eu-csca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/
- Certificate downloads (PEM format)
- CRL publication schedule
- Deviation notices

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## 5) Physical & Print Security Features

* **Watermarks:** Dedicated watermark on biodata page; different watermark design on inner pages; centred positioning.

* **Laminate/OVD:** Holographic laminate with kinetic/metallic effects over the datapage.

* **Intaglio & Latent Image:** Intaglio printing with **latent "EU"** image; tactile features.

* **Optically Variable Ink (OVI):** OVI elements on inside covers (e.g., "EUE" motif).

* **UV/IR Features:** Substrate **without optical brighteners**, fluorescent fibres, UV overprints in **red/blue/green**; additional UV imagery (2022 redesign theme).

* **Numbering:** Laser-perforated serial on inner pages ("L" + digits); top-right numbering on biodata page.

* **Guilloches/Microprint:** Multitone guilloches; complex background patterns; screen-printed elements on datapage.

* **Binding/Anti-Tamper:** Security stitching/binding marks present across visa pages.

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## 6) 2022 Design Refresh

* **In Circulation:** Since **July 2022** (after the initial 2015 upgrade).

* **Theme:** "Connectivity" & **space/universe** (EU **Galileo**/**Copernicus**). New UV graphics and specialised inks/print methods were introduced.

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## 7) Eligibility & Functional Use

* **Eligible Holders:** EU representatives/staff (and, under conditions, certain **special applicants** and **family members**); eligibility governed by Staff Regulations/CEOS.

* **Recognition/Visa Handling:** Valid in EU Member States; third countries via agreement. Airlines/travel agents check acceptance/visa via **IATA Timatic**; document info published in **PRADO**/**FADO** for inspection.

* **Important Limitation:** The document **does not itself grant diplomatic status/immunity**.

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## 8) Quick Reference — Border/ID Systems

* **Document Family:** **EU eMRTD**, issuer code **EUE**, TD3 format. **MRZ**: 2×44 chars per ICAO Doc 9303; standard passport field rules.

* **Chip Verification:** Trust EU-LP via **PKD** (CSCA EUE) or fetch CSCA/CRL directly from **JRC CSCA portal**. Extended access control supported; check reader configuration for EU-LP profiles.

* **Fingerprint Presence:** Required for standard booklets; **may be absent on provisional LPs** (design note on PRADO).

* **Specimen & Feature Lookup:** Use **PRADO: EUE-TS-02001** for exhaustive image-level features and page-by-page security elements.

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## 9) Integration Notes

### For Identity Service Integration

* **MRZ Parsing:** Implement ICAO Doc 9303 TD3 format parser (2 lines × 44 characters).
* **Chip Reading:** Support contactless IC reading for eMRTD data groups (DG1, DG2, DG3).
* **Certificate Validation:** Integrate with EU-LP CSCA for certificate chain validation.
* **Biometric Verification:** Support face image and fingerprint verification (when present).

### For Document Verification

* **Security Feature Checks:**
  - UV/IR feature detection
  - Watermark verification
  - Holographic laminate inspection
  - Intaglio printing verification
  - OVI element validation

* **MRZ Validation:**
  - Check digit validation
  - Field format validation
  - Issuer code verification (EUE)
  - Document number format

### For Credential Issuance

* **Diplomatic Credential Mapping:** Map EU-LP holder information to diplomatic credential claims:
  - Function/role from page 4
  - Issuing authority
  - Validity period
  - Document number

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## 10) Technical Implementation Requirements

### ICAO Doc 9303 Compliance

* **Parts 3–5:** MRTD common specs, TD3 MRPs
* **Parts 10–12:** LDS (Logical Data Structure), security mechanisms, PKI
* **Watch for Updates:** MRZ document-type code harmonisation (affects optional second letter in "P<" code) ahead of **Doc 9303 updates from 2026**.

### Certificate Management

* **Monitor EU-LP CSCA Page:** For certificate rollovers (new CSCA & link certs published **April 2025** with activation in **July 2025**).
* **Deviation Notices:** Watch for nationality-field encoding changes (e.g., German nationals: DEU → D<<).

### Data Groups (LDS)

Typical EU-LP eMRTD contains:
* **DG1:** MRZ data
* **DG2:** Face image
* **DG3:** Fingerprint template(s) — may be absent on provisional LPs
* **DG4:** Additional biometric data (if applicable)
* **DG5:** Displayed portrait
* **DG6:** Reserved
* **DG7:** Displayed signature
* **DG8–DG16:** Additional data groups (if applicable)

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## 11) Verification Flow

### Standard Verification Process

1. **Physical Inspection:**
   - Check document format (TD3, 88×125mm)
   - Verify security features (watermarks, OVI, UV/IR)
   - Inspect binding and anti-tamper features

2. **MRZ Reading:**
   - Read MRZ (2 lines × 44 chars)
   - Validate check digits
   - Verify issuer code (EUE)
   - Parse document number, dates, personal data

3. **Chip Access:**
   - Establish contactless communication
   - Perform Basic Access Control (BAC) or Extended Access Control (EAC)
   - Read data groups (DG1, DG2, DG3)

4. **Certificate Validation:**
   - Fetch CSCA certificate from EU-LP CSCA portal or PKD
   - Validate certificate chain
   - Check CRL for revoked certificates
   - Verify document signature

5. **Biometric Verification:**
   - Compare live face image with DG2
   - Compare live fingerprints with DG3 (if present)
   - Calculate match scores

6. **Data Consistency:**
   - Compare MRZ data with chip data (DG1)
   - Verify visual data matches chip data
   - Check document validity dates

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## 12) Compliance & Standards

### Standards Alignment

* **ICAO Doc 9303:** Full compliance required
* **EU Regulation 1417/2013:** Form and issuance requirements
* **Security Standards:** Equivalent to Member-State passports

### Integration Points

* **PRADO:** Document specimen reference (EUE-TS-02001)
* **FADO:** Document authenticity database
* **IATA Timatic:** Travel document acceptance database
* **ICAO PKD:** Public Key Directory for certificate validation

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## 13) References

### Official Sources

* **European Commission:** https://commission.europa.eu/about/departments-and-executive-agencies/human-resources-and-security/laissez-passer_en
* **EUR-Lex Regulation:** https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX%3A32013R1417
* **PRADO Specimen:** https://www.consilium.europa.eu/prado/en/EUE-TS-02001/index.html
* **ICAO Doc 9303:** https://www.icao.int/publications/doc-series/doc-9303
* **EU-LP CSCA Portal:** https://eu-csca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/

### Related Documents

* **UN Laissez-Passer:** PRADO UNO-TS-02001 (for comparison)
* **ICAO PKD:** Public Key Directory membership information
* **IATA Timatic:** Travel document database

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## 14) Implementation Checklist

### Phase 1: Basic Support
- [ ] MRZ parser for TD3 format (2×44 chars)
- [ ] Document number validation
- [ ] Issuer code recognition (EUE)
- [ ] Basic security feature detection

### Phase 2: Chip Integration
- [ ] Contactless IC reader integration
- [ ] BAC/EAC implementation
- [ ] LDS data group reading (DG1, DG2, DG3)
- [ ] Certificate chain validation

### Phase 3: Advanced Features
- [ ] EU-LP CSCA integration
- [ ] CRL checking
- [ ] Biometric verification (face, fingerprints)
- [ ] Full security feature validation

### Phase 4: Production
- [ ] Certificate rollover monitoring
- [ ] Deviation notice handling
- [ ] Integration with credential issuance
- [ ] Audit logging and compliance reporting

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## Document Control

- **Version:** 1.0
- **Last Updated:** 2024-12-28
- **Next Review:** Quarterly (or upon ICAO/EU updates)
- **Owner:** Identity Service / Compliance Team
- **Status:** Reference Documentation

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**Note:** This specification is for technical integration purposes. For legal and policy matters, refer to the official EU Regulation 1417/2013 and consult with legal counsel.

