Locate the machine-readable zone before identifying its type
ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 distinguishes the visual inspection zone from the machine-readable zone. Its MRZ provisions specify OCR-B with a restricted repertoire of capital Latin letters, digits and the filler character, and exclude diacritical marks there. The document separately discusses the visual zone and the representation of names. This identifies a specific information system; it does not establish one universal display font for every country’s cover, emblem or visual label.
Keep the original name separate from its machine representation
When studying an example, label the visual information and the machine-readable lines separately. Compare the spelling and character representation without assuming that every difference is a typeface error. Preserve a person’s original name in the appropriate source record; do not strip its accents everywhere simply because the MRZ uses a limited character set. For a fictional travel-journal heading, Roboto Mono and Cutive Mono are independent visual comparisons, not OCR-B editions or substitutes validated for a travel-document system.
Record the exact OCR-B resource instead of matching by appearance
The OCR-B family guide distinguishes historical design from edition-specific font metadata. Keep the actual publisher and file identity with any typography reference. A font named OCRB, a similar monospaced face and a system-ready output are different things; an installed font alone cannot establish the complete document requirements. The OCR comparison guide separates rendering text from recognizing a scan. For a holiday caption, the stylish travel-text converter offers Unicode substitutions; it does not format a passport or validate machine-readable data.
Your questions, answered.
What font is used in a passport’s machine-readable zone?
ICAO’s cited MRZ provisions specify OCR-B within a restricted character repertoire and a larger document specification. That attribution concerns the MRZ, not every printed part of a passport.
Does selecting an OCR-B font make a passport-format document compliant?
No. The cited specification covers the information zones and output requirements beyond a family name. This guide explains the typography distinction and supplies no document validation.
Sources & background
Sources supporting this page’s explanations. Practical examples are our editorial suggestions.