Irish passports set to become high-tech

A new automated passport system proposes using sophisticated laser engraving and hologram technology to maximise passport security, writesJamie Smyth

The Government has signed a contract worth €22 million with the Dublin arm of consultancy Bearing Point, formerly called KPMG Consulting, for the design and implementation of an automated passport system.

The deal follows months of negotiation over the design of the new system and delays over the completion of the tender, which saw Bearing Point beat off competition from Siemens Business Systems, PricewaterhouseCoopers and several other consultancies.

The automation system will have the capability to process applications online, although this function will not begin until another e-government initiative, the Reach portal project, is implemented by the Government.

The new passport will look remarkably similar to the current model, but it will have the capacity to include a biometric chip containing the personal data of the holder. This chip would be inserted into the passport if the Government decides to follow a US proposal for all countries enjoying visa waiver status with it to embed these chips in passports.

The winning bid from Bearing Point proposes using sophisticated laser engraving and hologram technology to maximise the security of the passport. This should make it much more difficult for criminals to produce illegal copies of Irish passports, some of which were previously written out by hand at overseas embassies.

The bid was modelled on a similar passport automation system recently introduced by the Dutch government, and Bearing Point will work with a Netherlands-based partner, Encheder SDU.

DataCard, a US firm based in Minnesota, will provide the computer systems and laser engraving machines that will form the central plank of the passport automation process. The firm's technology uses the highest laser image resolution to print text and photos in polycarbonate material.

The Irish passport will also contain perforations and a hologram that matches the photo of the individual for additional security. Laser engraving technology is generally restricted and is not widely available for use or abuse by counterfeiters. The polycarbonate document is permanently altered by the technology, making it virtually impossible to forge personal data.

The machines that will print the passports are capable of producing more than 100 passports per hour and should speed up the passport issuing process, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs. Rather than typing personal data from each application form into a central computer, staff will be able to scan the application forms directly into the computer.

The Department believes the system is crucial to enable the Passport Office to cope with surging demand for passports. Last year, 530,000 passports were issued, an increase of 13 per cent on 2001 and double the amount issued during 1995. Surging demand for passports over the past 10 years is attributed to the Republic's rapid economic growth and the surge in overseas travel caused by the rise of low-cost operators.

This rapid increase in applications has put pressure on the database containing all the personal information of passport holders. A new database to be created under the automation system would have no such capacity constraints, and would enable the Passport Office to make more intelligent use of the data.

The automation of the passport process will have a knock-on effect on the almost 200 staff who work at the Passport Offices in Dublin, London and Cork. Staff in Dublin were briefed on the implications of the new system yesterday. Staff in Cork and London will be briefed next week.

It is not clear if the automation process will result in job losses but it is likely to make some positions redundant.

Work on the passport automation system began in early January and it is expected to be up and running in the second half of 2004.