Electronic Passport System Utilizes
State-of-the-Art Anti-forgery Technology to Enhance Travelling Convenience
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The passports serve as identification documents in international travel. No matter in or out, the travellers must present their documents for identity verification. If a Hong Kong citizen holds a biometric HKSAR e-Passport, it would be much more convenient when travelling overseas, wouldn't it?
In the Hong Kong Information
and Communications Technology (ICT) Award 2008, the e-Passport System,
developed by the Immigration Department of the HKSAR Government, won the
Best Innovation and Research Grand Award. This e-Passport System supports
and controls the issuance of the HKSAR e-Passports. It incorporates multiple
state-of-the-art technologies to accomplish the department's mission of
issuing to Hong Kong residents highly secure travel documents to facilitate
their travel.
What is so special
of the HKSAR e-Passport when compared to the previously issued passport?
The covers are basically the same, but the e-Passport follows the standard
defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization. An electronic
passport logo has been added to represent that the HKSAR e-Passport is
embedded with a chip. This chip is a contactless chip which stores the
holder's personal data and facial image as biometric identifier. In compliance
with the international trend of strengthened anti-forgery measures, the
personal particulars and the photo of the holder are engraved by laser
on the bio-data page made of polycarbonate. Other improvements on the
HKSAR e-Passport mainly serve for anti-forgery purpose, which include
the employment of advanced anti-forgery features and sophisticated printing
techniques.
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| E-Passport Self-service Kiosk - resembling a benevolent Immigration Officer, the Kiosk provides citizens with an interactive platform for one-stop passport application process. |
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As a whole, the HKSAR e-Passport
can safeguard the travel convenience enjoyed by the holder. It also helps counter
passport forgeries, illegal migration and transnational crime facilitated by
passport frauds. The blending of multiple advanced anti-forgery features and
printing techniques allows the HKSAR e-Passports to be widely recognised worldwide.
Currently, there are over 130 countries/regions offering holders of HKSAR e-Passports
visa-free access or visa-on-arrival, which tremendously facilitates travelling
for the holders and strengthens the ties for trading, business and tourism globally.
The e-Passport System which is invented for the issuance of the HKSAR e-Passport has adopted sophisticated technology and concepts. It uses biometric feature to reinforce identification management, to achieve paperless working environment, to approve application automatically and to print quality and highly anti-forgery passports. The e-Passport System improves operation efficiency and accuracy, and provides the automated operation and simplified procedures which help reduce manpower. Inside the e-Passport System, the e-Cabinet is the first storage device which uses Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology in passport retrieval. Furthermore, the e-Passport System is highly flexible and scalable to support future development. The e-Passport System also enhances the service level of the Immigration Department by shortening the application lead-time from 15 working days to 10, which provides greater convenience to the citizens.
In the Hong Kong Information and Communications Technology Award 2008, the e-Passport System was not only awarded with the Best Innovation & Research Grand Award, but was also awarded with the Best Innovation & Research (Open) Gold Award, the Best Lifestyle Award (Work Life and Professional Services) Gold Award, the Best Public Service Application (Most Favoured) Silver Award, the Best Innovation & Research (Open) Award Certificate of Merit in Best Social Responsibility and the Best Lifestyle (Work Life and Professional Services) Award Certificate of Achievement, which fully demonstrates the success of the e-Passport System and the effort of the Immigration Department in developing and applying information and communications technology to meet the escalating demand of the citizens in public service.
Self-service Kiosk Provides an Interactive Platform for Application
To further expand the service scope of this e-Passport System, the Immigration Department has specially designed an innovative e-Passport Self-service Kiosk to support applications through multiple channels. The Kiosk which resembles a benevolent Immigration Officer provides citizens with an interactive platform for one-stop passport application process.
