A polycarbonate e-passport (also known as an polycarbonate passport or a PVC passport) is a type of passport that contains a biodata page made of polycarbonate, a strong plastic material, instead of a laminated paper sheet. The polycarbonate layers protect the passport's electronic components and personal data by laser-engraving them into the deeper layers of the plastic data page, which improved the anti-counterfeiting, durability and reliability of the passport compared to the regular laminated biodata page.
History
Finland introduced the world's first PVC passport data page in 1997, and Sweden was the first to adopt a passport with a biometric personal data page made of polycarbonate material in the early era of e-passports. This design was then gradually introduced in various countries. Germany, Thailand, Malaysia have adopted this technology in their passports few years after.
As of 2019, more than 40 countries have changed the material of their travel documents from the laminated paper to a polycarbonate one.
See also
References
- azraid (2024-08-23). "Understanding the Key Differences Between Polycarbonate E-Passports and Regular E-Passports". Indonesia Consultant Agency. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
- "Information about the Next Generation U.S. Passport". travel.state.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
- "KINEGRAM for passport protection and passport authentication". www.kinegram.com. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
- "Finland Selects Gemalto for Its New Secure Electronic Passport and eID". printed electronics now. Jan 22, 2016.
- "The Paper vs Polycarbonate Passport Debate An ITW Security Division White Paper – March 2017" (PDF). www.itwsf.com.
- Jacquot, Frederic (October 3, 2019). "How Polycarbonate is Creating More Secure Passport Datapages". HID.