Passport

A standard passport booklet measures approximately 4.92 inches (125 mm) wide and 3.46 inches (88 mm) tall when closed, matching the ISO/IEC 7810 ID-3 format used for the biodata page. The full booklet is thicker and slightly larger in practice once the cover and pages are accounted for. This page covers the exact dimensions, the ID-3 standard, and how passport size compares to other identification formats.

Dimensions

Aspect ratio

The ID-3 format has an aspect ratio of about 1.42:1, close to the A-series paper ratio of 1:√2 (1.414:1) though not derived from it directly. This proportion has been standard for passport booklets since the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) set global passport specifications.

The ISO 7810 card size family

ID-3 is the largest of the three common ISO 7810 formats. The biodata page, which holds the photo and personal details, is sized to this standard across nearly every country that issues ICAO-compliant passports, which includes the vast majority of the world.

Passport booklet thickness

A standard passport booklet is roughly 32 pages, though some countries offer larger 48 or 52 page versions for frequent travelers who need more visa stamp space. The closed booklet thickness varies by page count and cover material but typically runs between 3 and 5 mm.

Why passports use this size

The ICAO standardized passport dimensions in the 1980s to ensure passports could be read by machine scanners and border control equipment consistently worldwide, regardless of the issuing country. The biodata page includes a machine-readable zone (MRZ) at the bottom, formatted to precise character spacing so scanners across different countries can read it the same way.

Frequently asked questions

What is the size of a passport?

A closed passport booklet measures about 125 x 88 mm (4.92 x 3.46 inches), matching the ISO 7810 ID-3 format for the biodata page.

Are all passports the same size?

The biodata page follows the same ID-3 standard nearly everywhere due to ICAO requirements, though the overall booklet thickness can vary slightly based on page count and cover design.

What is the ID-3 format used for besides passports?

ID-3 is primarily associated with passport biodata pages, though a few other official travel and identity documents also use this size.

How many pages does a standard passport have?

Typically 32 pages, though many countries offer larger 48 or 52 page versions for travelers who fill pages quickly with visa stamps.

Why is there a machine-readable zone on the passport page?

The MRZ allows border control scanners in any country to read the passport holder’s information consistently, regardless of language or local formatting differences, since the zone follows a fixed international character format.

Related objects

• ID-1 card
• Credit/debit card
• European business card
• US business card