VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Silmy Karim of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkumham) officially released the latest Republic of Indonesia (RI) passport design on Saturday, August 17, 2024, coinciding with Indonesia's 79th Anniversary. The new RI passport design uses 33 of the 5,849 Indonesian archipelago fabric patterns from Sabang to Merauke, with red and white cover colors. Director General of Immigration of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Silmy Karim, explained that the red and white colors symbolize the unification of the nation, honor, and the history of the nation's struggle, courage, and purity.

On the other hand, traditional Indonesian fabric patterns symbolize the diversity of cultures, ethnicities, races, and groups, as well as the dynamics of national life, as stated by Karim In terms of appearance, the passport page design uses traditional fabric patterns of each region in Indonesia, and the patterns will change its shape under the UV light. The change in RI passport design aims to improve the Indonesian passport power in the world. So far, the Indonesian passport is ranked 69th in the strongest passports in the world category. Indonesian passport holders can travel visa-free to 78 countries.

Karim said that there have been three changes in the Indonesian passport color design since 1945. Indonesian passports in 1945-1958 used gray color, changed to blue in 1959-1982, changed to green in 1995, and the latest change was to turquoise in 2014. The combination of raw material security features and new printing technology is a major concern to ensure that passports can be used to travel overseas.

Minister of Law and Human Rights, Yassona Laoly, outlined the main functions of passports. Laoly said that a passport is not just a travel document, but a reflection of the nation's identity and pride. This can be seen from the latest design of the Indonesian passport which depicts the richness of Indonesian culture through a variety of traditional fabrics and authentic Indonesian colors.