Travel technology is advancing rapidly, with companies like Veridos complementing secure travel documents with digital solutions to streamline border crossings. ‘Virtual’ ePassports – digital credentials stored on secure mobile platforms – are emerging as a digital complement to traditional physical passports, rather than a replacement. While full replacement has not yet been realised or intended, these digital alternatives offer users more freedom of choice and enable identity verification, biometric integration, and global interoperability without physical booklets, enhancing travel efficiency and security for a connected world.

Veridos GmbH has officially signed a contract with Nepal’s Department of Passports (DoP) for the production of biometric passports, following an international competitive tendering process. The agreement, announced at the end of July, covers Package 2 of the project—comprising the supply of secure ePassport booklets, personalisation infrastructure, quality control systems, and packaging.

The Malawian government has formalised a 5-year contract valued at roughly $30 million with Madras Security Printers (MSP) Private Limited, an Indian firm specialising in security printing and eGovernment solutions. This agreement aims to enhance the nation's passport issuance system by addressing previous inefficiencies and security vulnerabilities.

The PQC4eMRTD (Post-Quantum Cryptography for electronic Machine-Readable Travel Documents) project is a European initiative launched on 28 February, aimed at enhancing the security of electronic machine-readable travel documents (eMRTDs), such as electronic passports, against emerging threats posed by advances in quantum computing.

The government of Burkina Faso has officially launched its next generation ePassport, featuring advanced security enhancements and meeting international standards for secure identity documents.

Convenient, hassle-free border control not only makes it easier for citizens to travel, it also improves relations with neighbours and brings economic benefits.

In the final episode of this three-part series (see IDN April and May 2024), we complete our criss-cross journey through the gallery of Latin American travel documents. Alphabetically, we had got as far as the passport of Panama. Our travels recommence this month with Paraguay, concluding in Venezuela.

By his own admission, Renaud Laffont-Leenhardt, Product Line Director for Travel Documents at Thales, will have long retired by 2044, but that didn’t stop him from presenting a compelling vision for travel documents at the recent ODDS conference.

In the first of this three-part series (see IDN April 2024), we delved into the rich tapestry of cultures, landscapes, and identities that make up Latin America (LatAm), and how they are distilled into the travel document of each country. Last month we got as far as the passport of El Salvador. We pick up the story, this month, in Guatemala.

TOPPAN Gravity Ethiopia Share Company, a joint venture between TOPPAN Gravity Ltd and the government of Ethiopia, has embarked on a project to establish a state-of-the-art passport manufacturing and issuance plant in Addis Ababa.