Starting on Monday next week, Taiwan is to issue next-generation biometric passports in an effort to tighten security and prevent identity theft, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Citizens will be able to apply for the upgraded passports at the Bureau of Consular Affairs in Taipei, its branch offices in Taichung, Kaohsiung, Hualien and Chiayi, or at the nation’s overseas representative offices, the ministry said in a statement.
Application fees for the new e-passports will remain the same at NT$1,300 for adults and NT$900 for children, the ministry said, adding that existing biometric and machine-readable passports will remain valid until they expire, but passport holders may apply for the new e-passport before that date.
Since the introduction of e-passports in late 2008, 166 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada and several EU nations, have granted Taiwanese passport holders visa-free entry, landing visas or similar entry privileges, the ministry said.
However, those privileges have also made Taiwanese passports a target for criminals, it added.
To keep pace with global developments and prevent identity theft, Taiwan is upgrading its e-passport to include cutting edge security measures, a third image of the passport holder and metallic surface relief, the ministry said.
The e-passports will feature a “ghost image” of the holder, which should be more difficult and expensive to duplicate, a ministry source said on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.
It is to be the first upgrade to the nation’s biometric passport since it was introduced on Dec. 29, 2008.
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