In addition to the special "antiskimming" material on the passport's front cover, the passports will include Basic Access Control technology that uses an algorithm to "unlock" the chip so it and the card reader can communicate.

"Only these readers can unlock the chip because of the Basic Access Control," said a State Department official who asked that her name not be used. "We looked carefully at all the comments we received from the public. We feel that these technologies do mitigate many of these concerns."

Fees for the new passports are expected to remain the same, according to the agency. The fee for applicants 16 and older is US$55, plus a $12 security surcharge and a $30 processing fee, for a total of $97.

Paper passports now in use would be replaced as they are renewed, according to a State Department spokesman. About 8 million passports are renewed annually out of some 57 million passports in circulation. The passports would be printed and manufactured by private companies.