Examine the outside of the booklet. A Canadian passport is a deep blue-black in color.
The word CANADA sits atop the updated Canada Coat of Arms. At the bottom are the
words Passport and the French translation "Passeport". All letters and symbols are in gold. The bearers information is located on page 2.
Run your fingertips over the photo on the far left-hand side of the information page. It should feel smooth and flat and look shiny. The photo is printed digitally and embedded in the page.
Tilt the information page back and forth; a series of holograms will appear to move across the page. These images are called "crystagrams" and may include maple leaves, mounties on horseback, and the word "Canada".
Hold the photo under ultraviolet light. A ghost image of the passport holder's photo appears. Customs and law enforcement officials can also detect fraud in a passport by holding it under light that detects "optically variable ink" which changes colors under specific light. The same technology is used to verify bank notes.
Run your fingertips over the area to right of the photo. It should feel smooth and look shiny.
This area contains vital information including the name of the bearer, citizenship, date of birth, sex, place of birth as well as issuing and expiry date. The signature will appear at the bottom right-hand side of this data. It is also printed digitally and embedded to prevent
tampering.
Look at the bottom of the information page. You should see two lines of letters, numbers and chevrons (<). This information allows customs officials and airline self check-in stations to verify passport information.
