Bahamas government to intro new biometric passport this month

Bahamas’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration announced earlier this week that the government will introduce a new series of biometric passports at the end of the month, according to a report by Tribune 242.

According to the Bahamas High Commission website, the new Bahamas electronic passport securely stores biographical information and a digital image that is identical to the holder’s facial photo displayed in the passport.

The ePassport is embedded with contactless chip technology which allows the stored information to be read by electronic chip readers at a close distance.

Using digital signature technology, the ePassport verifies the authenticity of the data stored on the chip.

The ePassport will use the digital image of the passport photograph as a biometric identifier, enabling face recognition and fingerprinting technologies at customs to verify the identity of the passport holder.

The ministry said in a statement that current ePassports will remain valid up to their expiration date, meaning that any individuals who already have a valid ePassport do not need to apply for the new version.

Fees for the new ePassport will remain the same ($50 for adult passports and $25 for children passports), while the cost of emergency travel documents and any other documents issued by the Passport Office will also remain unchanged.

Article Topics

Bahamas  |  biometric passport  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  fingerprint recognition