To make identification documents more secure using better anti-counterfeit designs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday unveiled a new electronic passport [ePassport], which will be available to Taiwanese starting at the end of next month.
The ministry added that with higher security travel documents, Taiwan would be in a better position to seek visa-free entry privileges to other countries that already employ this kind of identification technology.
The ePassport, or biometric passport, would look no different from current passports except that ePassports sport a contactless chip and antenna embedded within the pages of the booklet that can be read by radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) said.
PHOTO: CHU PEI-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
“An immigration officer would be able to identify ePassports [from chipless versions] by the gold stamped chip logo printed on the cover, and pull up the traveler’s data as well as [his or her] photo in a matter of seconds,” Ou said.
Not only would the switch to ePassport be in compliance with international trends — Taiwan would be the 60th country to offer ePassports — MOFA’s bureau of consular affairs director Lo Yu-chung (羅由中) said that “seeking visa-free privileges from countries such as those in the EU and the US has always been a goal of MOFA, and issuing ePassports is a necessary step ... It would be beneficial to this pursuit.”
The anti-counterfeiting features of ePassports partly comes from the fact that once information is written in a chip, it cannot be altered, deleted or added to “so that the ePassport has a more widely trusted validity,” Lo said.
Though Taiwanese immigration is not currently equipped with chip readers, “meaning the difference between using a biometric versus electronic passport would not be readily apparent now,” Lo said.
The equipment would be in place by 2010 and passing immigration with an ePassport would be much more speedy than using a normal passport, Lo added.
“From now until the end of 2009, the passport fee would remain NT$1,200 without reflecting the increased costs ... After 2009, MOFA may adjust the cost to NT$1,600,” Lo said.
People applying for new or renewal passports will automatically receive the new ePassport, Lo said, adding that those whose passports are not expired yet but wish to switch over to ePassports now are also encouraged to do so.
For more information, visit www.epassport.com.tw.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS