The U.S. State Department is already issuing so-called e-Passports to some American travelers as part of the U.S. government's effort to make travel documents more secure in a post-Sept. 11 world.

"The department is committed to shutting down the ability of terrorists and criminals to use false travel documents to move freely through our borders. The upgrade to e-Passports is a significant advance in preventing terrorists from using lost or stolen passports to obtain entry into the United States," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday.

"It is going to make for a quicker inspection. It also allows the inspectors to focus their resources on people who don't have electronic documents who have, perhaps, come from countries of greater concern," added Frank Moss, deputy assistant secretary for consular affairs at the State Department. "I've never tried to tell people the e-Passport is a silver bullet … it is another tool to improve border security ... and to make the inspection process more efficient for the vast majority of legitimate travelers."