# RFID Blocking Passport Wallets **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363 "2008-12-02T17:19:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/1 "2008-12-02T17:19:18Z")
Cost $25 at my local travel store. What homemade solutions do I have (i.e., will aluminum foil work?) for less? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/2 "2008-12-02T17:23:20Z")
The chip is located in the back cover of the passport. Bashing the back cover with a hammer a few times will destroy the chip but leave the rest of the passport untouched. Of course this is only for the really paranoid. ---
**Author:** ![unclelem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ac91a4/32.png) [@unclelem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclelem)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/3 "2008-12-02T17:31:20Z")
> [@Amp](#): > > The chip is located in the back cover of the passport. Bashing the back cover with a hammer a few times will destroy the chip but leave the rest of the passport untouched. Of course this is only for the really paranoid. And of questionable legality - since you’re intentionally damaging/altering your passport. I wonder if you wouldn’t be pulled aside for further questioning the first time your passport failed to scan via RFID at an entry point. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/4 "2008-12-02T17:31:37Z")
[Make your own](http://www.rpi-polymath.com/ducttape/RFIDWallet.php). ---
**Author:** ![unclelem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ac91a4/32.png) [@unclelem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclelem)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/5 "2008-12-02T17:36:08Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > [Make your own](http://www.rpi-polymath.com/ducttape/RFIDWallet.php). I was just about to post the same link. It left me wondering though, about the problems of getting the said wallet through security checkpoints. It would seem likely to set off a metal detector, and because of the metal foil, likely to trigger a manual inspection if it went through x-ray. Has anyone tried this? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/6 "2008-12-02T19:09:25Z")
When going through metal detectors, your pockets are generally emptied. ---
**Author:** ![unclelem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ac91a4/32.png) [@unclelem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclelem)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/7 "2008-12-02T19:23:01Z")
> [@UncleBill](#): > > When going through metal detectors, your pockets are generally emptied. … and their contents passed through the x-ray machine. Objects that show up as bright, opaque rectangles in the x-ray machine tend to get taken aside and inspected manually. My question is: has anyone experienced a problem with this? ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/8 "2008-12-12T03:27:08Z")
> [@unclelem](#): > > … and their contents passed through the x-ray machine. Objects that show up as bright, opaque rectangles in the x-ray machine tend to get taken aside and inspected manually. > > My question is: has anyone experienced a problem with this? I’m wondering the same thing, as they seemed like good gift ideas. There’s also the risk of your passport chugging merrily along the conveyor, with you stuck at the metal detectors, ready for a thief to nab it. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/9 "2008-12-12T03:33:09Z")
One or two seconds in the microwave will destroy the RFID chip without leaving any visible physical damage. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/10 "2008-12-12T03:34:27Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > One or two seconds in the microwave will destroy the RFID chip without leaving any visible physical damage. … > [@unclelem](#): > > And of questionable legality - since you’re intentionally damaging/altering your passport. > > I wonder if you wouldn’t be pulled aside for further questioning the first time your passport failed to scan via RFID at an entry point. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/11 "2008-12-12T03:59:37Z")
[Not so](http://travel.state.gov/passport/eppt/eppt_2788.html#Fourteen): > [@](#): > > **What will happen if my Electronic passport fails at a port-of-entry?** > > The chip in the passport is just one of the many security features of the new passport. If the chip fails, the passport remains a valid travel document until its expiration date. The bearer will continue to processed by the port-of-entry officer as if he/she had a passport without a chip. As long as there’s no obvious visible signs of tampering, there shouldn’t be any problem. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/12 "2008-12-12T12:44:28Z")
Can other RIFD chips be disabled easily? ---
**Author:** ![ZomZom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zomzom/32/5620_2.png) [@ZomZom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZomZom)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/13 "2008-12-12T12:55:50Z")
What’s the purpose of defeating the chip? ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/14 "2008-12-12T13:13:48Z")
> [@ZomZom](#): > > What’s the purpose of defeating the chip? Some mix of paranoia and legitimate fear of identity theft. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/15 "2008-12-12T14:50:56Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Can other RIFD chips be disabled easily? Depends on what they’re in. If it’s in a package with other electronics or anything elese sensitive to strong EM fields, then the microwave trick is right out. In most of those cases, the hammer trick is unwise, as well. If you can isolate the RFID chip, however, you can usually disable it fairly easily. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/16 "2008-12-12T14:52:52Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > Some mix of paranoia and legitimate fear of identity theft. In the case of passport RFID, the fear appears to be [legimate](http://www.technewsworld.com/story/52270.html), if a bit exaggerated. ---
**Author:** ![Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/17 "2008-12-12T18:13:55Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > One or two seconds in the microwave will destroy the RFID chip without leaving any visible physical damage. Cite? I recently experimented with various RFID stickers affixed to paper products to address this very issue, and they all burst into flames immediately (well within two seconds). ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/18 "2008-12-12T18:49:25Z")
**Pasta** , are you sure they were RFID, and not loss prevention stickers? I’m imagining you’re talking about the square stickers with the foil coil in them. Those aren’t RFID, they just trigger the store’s exit sensor… ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/19 "2008-12-12T19:55:04Z")
> [@Pasta](#): > > Cite? My microwave is my cite. I think **ZenBeam** is right; those those large, square EAS tags with a heliform foil pattern on them aren’t RFID. Being a loop of conductor, they are an excellent MW antenna and I have no problem imagining one of them bursting into flames like that. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363/20 "2008-12-12T21:05:51Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > **Pasta** , are you sure they were RFID, and not loss prevention stickers? I’m imagining you’re talking about the square stickers with the foil coil in them. Those aren’t RFID, they just trigger the store’s exit sensor.. Basically they are working on the same physical principle (RF resonance). EAS is an extremely limited storage version of RFID (1 bit vs many). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets/475363.md?page=2)