HOW DIFFICULT is it to tamper with an Irish passport? Over the last five years, the Department of Foreign Affairs has employed several measures to enhance the security of the passports it issues.
In 2005, the department introduced a new automatic passport system (APS). This involved the production of a more secure data page in every new Irish passport.
The page has a polycarbonate surface making it virtually impossible to alter without being detected through standard examination, and virtually impossible to produce without highly specialised equipment. In earlier passports, the holder’s photograph was placed on a paper page and secured by lamination. In all passports issued since 2005, data is laser-engraved to a level beneath the surface of the polycarbonate.
Photo substitution is not possible as a result. The passport is further protected by security measures including the use of optically variable ink, and the fact the image of the holder is perforated through the data page.
In 2006, the APS passport was improved through the development of the new ePassport.
This included the addition of a microchip which contains a digital image of the holder, and other biometric data. This means the image of the holder’s face is featured in three areas of the passport – the photo in the personal information page; the laser perforation through that page; and the microchip. All three must match, and all three are impossible to alter without such changes being easily detected. All data on the microchip is protected by encryption.