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THE INDONESIA Government unveiled a new design for the Indonesian passport featuring the richness of Nusantara culture at the ICAO Traveller Identification Program (TRIP) in Montreal, Canada. The symposium, which took place from 13 to 15 November, was attended by representatives from 193 ICAO member countries, including Indonesia, and discussed current issues in the management of travelers’ identities.
According to the Director of Immigration Cooperation, Anggiat Napitupulu, said the e-passport uses the latest generation of features that function not only as a travel document, but also as a representation of Indonesian identity and culture. There are 33 traditional batik motifs printed on the passport pages using special technology, not only for aesthetic reasons but also for security.
“The new Indonesian passport is equipped with various advanced security features,” Anggiat said in a written statement quoted by tempo, Wednesday, (11/10), 2024.
Difficult to forge
He said the passport chip, connected to the radio antenna, allows for the secure storage of biometric data and the digital signature of the holder. “The polycarbonate biodata page also makes this passport more durable and difficult to forge,” he affirmed.
The symposium also discussed the morphing technique, which poses a threat to the security of international travel documents.
“Morphing allows someone to combine the faces of two different people in one photo, so it can be used to forge identities,” Anggiat noted.
To anticipate this threat, he said, countries around the world, including Indonesia, continue to develop more sophisticated security technologies and procedures.
ICAO Member
Indonesia joined the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD) network in 2019. PKD is a central repository controlled by ICAO as a medium for authenticating travel documents for each registered country and in accordance with the format of the travel document reader machine to ensure its validity.
This membership will allow Indonesia to share information with other countries on verifying the authenticity of travel documents such as passports, and enhance cooperation in combating transnational crimes involving document fraud.
“We have joined the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD) network. As a result, our passports have been registered in the international travel information system, and thus information about these travel documents will be shared with all international points of entry of ICAO members who have registered for PKD,” Anggiat explained.
Anggiat also emphasized that the new passport design is an effort by the Immigration Department to strengthen the Republic of Indonesia’s passport.
“The use of a combination of security features, raw materials and other latest techniques according to ICAO standards is a major concern to ensure that the passport can be protected while being used to travel between countries, while also being an ambassador of Indonesian culture with its beautiful design,” Anggiat concluded. [sources/photo special]
