How to Read Your Passport's Data Correctly

You've probably often come across passports that use unusual symbols, or where the holder has more than one name, or where a surname isn't listed at all. All of this depends on the culture, traditions, and legal system of the specific country.

For example, in Indonesia, many people don't have a surname, so only a first name appears on the passport. In Arab countries, on the other hand, a name may include the father's and grandfather's names as well, forming an entire structure. In Vietnam, sounds are used that we don't encounter in other countries.

However, when it comes to buying tickets, booking a hotel, or filling out a visa application, handling such cases correctly requires following international standards.

ICAO and MRZ Standards

When traveling internationally — including filling out visa applications, booking hotels, or purchasing travel tickets — it's important to follow the standards set by ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organization), the global aviation standards body.

What Is ICAO?

ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organization) is a global aviation organization that sets international standards, including for passports.

ICAO's goals are:

• Ensuring safe travel;
• Standardizing passport data so it can be easily read in every country;
• Supporting biometric and electronic passports.

MRZ (Machine Readable Zone):

The MRZ is the bottom section of the passport, designed to be read by machine.

The MRZ consists of two or three lines, containing the passport holder's first name, last name, date of birth, country, passport expiration date, and number. All data is encoded using Latin letters and the < symbol, which speeds up automatic machine reading.

The MRZ is formatted identically in every passport worldwide, allowing machines to read this data automatically and quickly.

How to Enter Your Data for Tickets and Applications

When purchasing tickets, booking a hotel, or filling out various application forms, it's essential that your first and last name be entered in the correct format, exactly as it appears in the MRZ zone.

Our first and last name appear precisely in the first line of the MRZ format. First comes the passport type, then the country's three-letter code, then the surname up to the < symbol, and finally the first name after the < symbol.

For example: P<GEOSURNAME<<FIRSTNAME

If No Surname Is Listed

If your passport doesn't list a surname, the MRZ zone places < symbols where the surname would go. In such cases, when filling out an application, we leave the surname field blank, or write: "UNKNOWN"; "FNU (first name unknown)."

For example: PGEO<<<FIRSTNAME

If You Hold Multiple Given Names

If the passport holder has several given names, when filling out a visa application or any other registration form, we shouldn't forget to follow the MRZ format.

All names should be entered in MRZ order. If the application allows it during entry, the < symbols should be replaced with spaces, or the names combined.

If there are restrictions, only the first given name should be used.

Different Symbols in First and Last Names

ICAO's MRZ zone uses only Latin letters (A–Z) and numbers (0–9), so special characters and sounds are standardized and converted according to standardized rules.

For example: the name Björn is written in MRZ format as BJOERN, while François is written as FRANCOIS.

To avoid problems when traveling internationally, purchasing tickets, or filling out visa and application forms, it's important that our first and last names be transferred accurately, in which the MRZ format plays a major role.

Don't forget the rules mentioned above, and be sure to apply the guidelines we've shared the next time you travel.

We wish you happy travels!