The new Maldivian biometric passport has been launched by President Abdullah Yameen Abdul Qayyoom with 34 security features including fingerprint and biological information. The auto gate system at the airport was also launched in a special ceremony held in Hotel Jen.
Speaking in the ceremony, Controller of Immigration and Emigration Mohamed Anwar said that the safety features of the new passports were at international standards.
The passport had 34 different security features, with the features appearing in 54 different parts of the passport.
Germany’s Dharmalog Company designed the new passport. The company said that the passport was similar to the ones used in Singapore and Malaysia, but the Maldivian passports had higher security features.
“Maldives has become the first country in the region to have such high security standards on the passports.”
Anwar added that with the new passports, there will be no room for passport duplication or forgery.
The new passport is designed so that water damage would not bleed the picture to the data page, as the pages were made from polycarbon.
Anwar said that even though a new passport had been introduced, no additional charges will be levied on the applicants and that existing passport holders can use the current ones until they expire.
The newly introduced auto-gate services allows the passengers automated checking in and eliminates the queues at the immigration counters. At the e-gates, the passengers have to scan their passports, boarding passes and fingerprints. Once they have completed the process, the gate will open and allow the passenger to pass.
The service will first be tested by Maldivians, with a gate at departure gate and two gates at the arrivals.
The name of the department had also been changed; the department is now known as Maldives Immigration. A new uniform for the agency was also released in the ceremony.
Biometric passports launched by President
