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SA orders high security passport solution

In October 2008 Trüb won the tender for the high security polycarbonate datapage for the new South African passport, which is to be launched in 2009.

Currently South Africa issues traditional passports to its citizens. In the wake of the incidents of 11 September 11, ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) decided to reinforce the international cooperation to protect the security and integrity of passports. A decision was taken by all the member states that issuance of machine-readable passports must become mandatory by 2010.

To meet this requirement, the SA Government Printing Works issued a tender for new passports. The new passports will be machine-readable and unable to be copied and counterfeited. Trüb, working with local agent Brand New Technologies, won the tender after a stringent prequalification phase. A key feature that led to Trüb securing this tender is the fact that the datapage is 100% polycarbonate and can be personalised via laser engraving. With this South Africans are receiving a state-of-the-art high quality solution guaranteed for the lifetime of the passport. The value of the first order is in the multimillion Swiss francs range.

The introduction of the new passport is scheduled for spring 2009.

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