Kyrgyzstan launches biometric passport with advanced security features

Kyrgyzstan has launched a biometric passport embedded with enhanced security features, an IT Project Analyst and Architect who worked on the project said in a LinkedIn post.

In the article, Zakhid Abdykaimov — who works with State-run enterprise Infocom — gave a detailed description of specific features of the new biometric passport, citing some of the companies that made contributions to the production of the document.

The passport booklets were produced by Mühlbauer, personalization equipment was by Entrust while overall coordination of the project was handled by the country’s State Enterprise (Infocom) under the State Registration Service (SRS). The passport, he mentioned, contains protective properties of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades.

Zakhid added that the document meets ICAO’s compliance requirements, and that experts certified the security elements of the document as being very good.

About the testing process, he reveals all data was successfully read on the chip, including fingerprint biometrics. Secunet’s Golden Reader Tool was one of the tools used in the process, the article notes.

The article said that apart from the innovative and modern design of the passport, from the cover to the inside pages, it also has features that aim to popularize the diversity of the country through aspects such as its flora, fauna, national traditions, musical instruments, monuments, history and even poetry.

The security of data on the passport pages is ensured through laser engraving, and the post also outlines a shortlist of physical data security elements built into the document.

Kyrgyzstan issued a call to tender back in February 2020 for the production of 1.5 million copies of the 34-page biometric passports. In 2017, the country discussed adopting biometric passports to replace national ID cards so as to facilitate the process of identification during border checks.

Article Topics

biometric passport  |  biometrics  |  Entrust  |  ICAO  |  identity document  |  Kyrgyzstan  |  Mühlbauer  |  secunet