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.[1][2][3]
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History
editFinland introduced the world's first PVC passport data page in 1997,[4] 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.[5]
As of 2019, more than 40 countries have changed the material of their travel documents from the laminated paper to a polycarbonate one.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 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.