PICA to begin issuing new E-passports next week

The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) has announced it will begin issuing new high-security electronic or E-passports to the public as of March 31.

An E-passport is an electronic machine-readable passport with an embedded microchip that stores a digital version of the holder's biographical data.

The chip has a unique digital signature specific to each issuing country.

PICA said the "E-passport is a robust biometric document with added layers of security that can aid in the fight against new and emerging threats to identity theft and national security."

It explained that its decision to issue the document is aimed at facilitating greater confidence and acceptance of the Jamaican passport for travel facilitation globally.

The introduction of the E-passports in Jamaica will see the nation joining more than 150 countries that use E-passports, including 11 CARICOM states.

"This will now ensure that the country's passport is aligned with the growing number of countries using E-passports. The new document will bear the E-passports logo that's used by all E-passports-issuing countries around the world," a media release from PICA on Friday said.

PICA stated that passports that have been previously issued are still valid until the expiration date and there is no need to change them.

It also noted that there will be no increase in fees as a result of the introduction of the new passports.

PICA's CEO Andrew Wynter said the E-passport initiative is aligned with PICA's strategic objective of enhancing travel facilitation through risk-based and data-driven inspection.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.