Politics New Belgian passports

Maciamo

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I am a bit late on this since the new passports were released in February 2008. I thought it was worth mentioning though. Belgium uses biometric passports since 2004 - the first European country to do so.

Already close to unfalsifiable, the 2008 version introduces even more technological and graphical features to enhance data protection, to improve the design, and to facilitate checks without specialised instruments (useful when travelling to developing countries). For instance :

- Colour personalisation on the data page
- Black-and-white personalisation on the polycarbonate sheet
- Micro-perforation of the photo on the polycarbonate sheet
- Invisible personalisation on the pictogram page
- Electronic personalisation on the microchip

The new Belgian passports are also 'self-checking', by superimposing an external polycarbonate sheet over the photo, revealing this way the holder's initials.

Belgium was already the world's first country (along with Italy) to introduce (compulsory) electronic ID cards for all its citizens in 2003. Since 2007, foreign residents in Belgium are also granted an electronic ID-card.
 

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