The International Civil Aviation Organization is currently working on the Logical Data Structure version 2 or LDS2, the next evolution of the ePassport standards.
They were initially implemented in 2005 based on the ICAO doc 9303 defining the specifications of machine-readable passports.
In particular, the ICAO defined the Logical Data Structure version 1 (LDS or LDS1), which is how data is stored in the micro-controller to ensure international interoperability.
For the moment, information stored in the ePassport becomes static at the time of issuance and cannot be modified. In the field, the electronic passport micro-controller is "read-only."
"Sealing" the data at the time of issuance ensures that personal information is protected and that passport tampering can be more easily detected.
Visas travel stamps, and biometrics impacted.
Today, other travel data such as visas and travel stamps are physically entered into the document's visa pages, and visa and travel records must be manually checked.
Recognizing this limitation, ICAO's New Technologies Working Group (NTWG) has commissioned a sub-group to explore the policy and technical framework for the next generation of machine-readable passports.
While ICAO doc 9303 focused on the electronification of the passport data page, the next-generation specifications (Logical Data Structure v2 or LDS2) will focus on the digital conversion of the rest of the document.
LDS2, the new generation of the Logical Data Structure, will be optional and extend the use of the ePassport through the addition of a read-write function..