Indonesia's Birthday Gift, Directorate General of Immigration Releases New Face of Indonesian Passport

Silmy Karim further elaborated that the new passport design is only for e-passports. The changes have improved the material quality, as well as increasing the type and number of security features.

"Travel documents should contain techniques and security features that are able to protect against various forgery attacks, including replacement and disappearance of passport pages, particularly on the biodata section," said Silmy.

Combination of security features included in the redesign of the Indonesian passport such as a durable cover that is able to protect the chip. Passport biodata is made of multiple layers of polycarbonate and covered with a coating to shield it.

In addition, the paper of the passport document is also resistant and sensitive to chemicals. Inks are used, such as visible ink and invisible ink (fluorescent ink and infra red ink) that glow under the ultraviolet light. The technology is also used in the sewing yarn of the passbook, making it three-colored.

"In terms of appearance, the design of the passport sheet using fabric patterns characteristic of regions in Indonesia, and the pattern will be changing when viewed with UV light," said Silmy.

Launching the new passport design is part of the country's immigration efforts to reinforce the Indonesian passport. The combination of security features, raw materials, and advanced techniques become the main concern to ensure that passports will be protected during cross-border travel.

Therefore, the authentication of the document is easier. This condition will help when a passport is needed for physical identification as evidence in a court of law.

For your information, along the history of the Indonesian Immigration from 1945 to now, an Indonesian passport has had several changes in cover color.

In 1945-1958, the passport of Indonesia was colored light gray. Then, in 1959-1982 it changed to blue, and then in 1983 the passport cover changed to green. At 1995, the cover colors changed to dark green, and in the last decade, in 2014 until now, the passport cover color is turquoise.

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