Just a day after Singaporean passports were declared to be the most powerful in the world, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced that our mighty red booklets will be getting an aesthetic and security upgrade.
To make our biometric passports harder to forge or tamper, new visa page designs and additional security attributes will be added. It’s mostly technical stuff, really, including surface transformation designs that can display alternate reflective effects at different angles, embossed tactile designs, and a “Multiple Laser Image” in the shape of the Singapore map.
Nothing to worry yourself about — just know that the world’s most powerful passport will now be way harder to duplicate.
There will also be new designs for visa pages, which will soon feature six iconic Singaporean landmarks: Botanic Gardens, Esplanade, Marina Barrage, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Sports Hub, and… Punggol New Town. Yeah, that last one’s kinda odd. Nonetheless, they’ll replace the existing image of the CBD skyline and Esplanade.
The fresh new passports will be issued from the end of the month, and applicants from today will receive them. But existing passports are still valid for travel, and there’s no need to replace them now unless they’re expiring soon. More details on the ICA website.
