HID Global delivers e-passports to Ireland
22 October, 2013
category: Government
HID Global, has confirmed the successful rollout of its newly designed electronic passport for the country of Ireland.
HID partnered with DLRS Group, an Irish security printing company, and system integrator and MultiPerso software suite developer X InfoTech, to deliver the Irish e-passport project. Together, the companies are providing an end-to-end solution that includes e-passport delivery, personalization and production management.
The newly designed Ireland e-passport leverages the latest security technologies to safeguard citizen identity while simultaneously providing the Republic of Ireland with a flexible, efficient and highly secure passport solution.
Ireland-based DLRS is the prime contractor for the project, providing its high-level security printing. In addition to serving as project manager for the joint venture, DLRS is also manufacturing and delivering the new Irish passport booklets.
Alongside partners HID and X InfoTech, the trio will collaborate on the configuring and personalization of the new Irish e-passports.
“Our goal was to deliver a secure and flexible e-passport solution within the budget and timeline set by the Irish government,” says David O’Connor, sales director for 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.”
X InfoTech will provide its MultiPerso personalization solution for contactless chips, which includes ICAO data preparation. “Our MultiPerso solution not only provides innovative security technology but it ensures a flexibility to grow as Ireland’s e-passport needs evolve,” explains Sergejs Jelisejevs, X InfoTech Board Member.
The new Irish e-passport will be a straight swap for the previous passport document, and promises to offer a new level of security thanks to HID Global’s polycarbonate electronic data page complete with contactless chip inlays. For this reason, forging or copying the new e-passport credentials is a near impossibility.
The new e-passports also incorporate HID Global’s Crack Prevention Feature (CPF), which enhances the durability and reliability of polycarbonate e-passport data pages – particularly those with embedded RFID chips. Thanks to CPF, governments can leverage the advantages of smart card technology, while protecting their investment by extending the life of the ID credentials for up to 10 years.
The new e-passport initiative is certainly necessary as Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has revealed that more than 630,000 Irish passports were issued in 2012. Moreover, the Republic of Ireland has approximately 4.5 million citizens to whom the new e-passports could be issued.
