Travelers wrap passports in aluminum foil to prevent data theft

A new travel trend gaining traction on social media platforms like TikTok and Reddit involves travelers wrapping their passports in aluminum foil. This practice is driven by fears that criminals could use contactless readers to steal sensitive biometric data from the RFID chips embedded in modern passports.

Experts, including those from the German Federal Office for Information Security, state that the threat of unauthorized data access during routine travel is extremely unlikely. For a reader to access the chip, it would need to be in immediate proximity to the document, similar to contactless payment technology.

While aluminum foil can act as a makeshift barrier against radio waves, specialists consider the measure superfluous and impractical. They note that repeatedly unwrapping documents at border controls can cause unnecessary delays and may expose the passports to physical damage such as creasing or friction.