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Ireland rolls out newly designed secure electronic passport

HID Global has announced the successful roll-out of the newly designed Irish electronic passport (e-passport). HID Global joined forces with DLRS Group, a security printing company in Ireland, and X INFOTECH, a system integrator and MultiPerso software suite developer to implement the Irish e-passport project.

Working together, the companies are providing an end-to-end solution including e-passport delivery, personalisation and production management. The newly designed Ireland e-passport uses the latest security technologies to protect citizens’ identities while providing the Republic of Ireland with a flexible, efficient and highly secure passport solution.

“The new Irish e-passport was introduced by Ireland’s Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore and Minister of State, Joe Costello on October 1,” said Joe Nugent, director of passport Personalisation Centre with the Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs. “We are very satisfied with all our partners’ teamwork, quality and professionalism to deliver our new and secure e-passport program.”

DLRS is the prime contractor for the project. Beyond serving as the project manager for the joint effort, DLRS manufactures and delivers the new Irish passport booklets and configured the personalisation solution for the new e-passports alongside its partners HID Global and X INFOTECH.

“Our goal was to deliver a secure and flexible e-passport solution within the budget and timeline set by the Irish government,” said David O’Connor, sales director, DLRS. “I am happy to report we exceeded our goal not only meeting time and budget parameters but creating one of the most secure and visually appealing e-passport designs to date.”

The new Irish e-passport replaces the previous document, and provides an exceptional level of security including HID Global’s polycarbonate electronic data page with contactless chip inlays making the passports very hard to forge or copy. The new e-passports also incorporate HID Global’s innovative Crack Prevention Feature (CPF) that enhances the durability and reliability of polycarbonate e-passport data pages, especially those with embedded RFID chips. With CPF, governments can fully leverage the advantages of smart-card technology and protect their investment by extending the life of ID credentials for up to ten years.

X INFOTECH provided its MultiPerso personalisation solution for contactless chips including ICAO data preparation.

“Throughout this project it has been an honour to work with all the companies involved in designing and delivering the new Irish e-passport,” said Sergejs Jelisejevs, X INFOTECH board member. “Our MultiPerso solution not only provides innovative security technology but it ensures the flexibility to grow as Ireland’s e-passport needs evolve.”

The newly designed Irish passport features images of iconic Irish landmarks including the Croagh Patrick, Kylemore Abbey and Croke Park, in addition to drawings depicting Irish music and dance and Gaelic games. According to Gilmore, the Tánaiste and Minister for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, “Irish passport holders travel more often and to more destinations than at any time in the past.” More than 630 000 Irish passports were issued in 2012 and the Republic of Ireland has approximately 4,5 million citizens who could potentially be issued these new passports. All three companies were invited to the official launch event at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, on 30 September 2013.

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