What is a biometric passport?

All the new us passports are. There should be a little symbol at the bottom of the passport cover that is kind of like an equal sign with a little circle inside it. You can Google images of the symbol if you aren't sure, but since you recently renewed it you should be fine.

Since August 2007, the U.S. has been issuing only e-passports. An electronic passport has a small integrated circuit (or “chip”) embedded in the back cover and has a new look with additional anti-fraud and security features.

The chip securely stores:

The same information visually displayed on the photo page of the passport;
A biometric identifier in the form of a digital image of the passport photograph, which will facilitate the use of facial recognition technology at ports-of-entry;
The unique chip identification number; and
A digital signature to protect the stored data from alteration.

The above from the State Dept site--- https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/faqs.html#electronic

Note also that the passport has to be opened to permit scanning. You don't need to buy a fear-tactic "secure" wrapper for your passport. Or your credit card. Or your Iphone.

Thanks for the replies. Very helpful. Now I can breathe easy! =)

There is no personal information on the chip. The chip is simply a 64 bit encrypted number that ties to a database. Some of the above information is misleading. From the travel.state.gov website -----

.......There is no personal information written on the electronic chip itself. The chip contains a unique number which identifies a stored record within secure government databases......