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An officer assists airplane passengers using the automatic gate for immigration checks at Terminal 3 of Soekarno Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten, Wednesday (3/1/2024). (ANTARA FOTO/SULTHONY HASANUDDIN)

VOInews, Canada : The Ministry of Immigration and Corrections revealed the new design of the Indonesian passport, which features the Red and White flag, at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Symposium in Montreal, Canada.

The ministry's director of immigration cooperation, Anggiat Napitupulu, explained the features of the latest generation of electronic passports, which will not only function as travel documents but also represent Indonesian identity and culture.

"The new Indonesian passport is equipped with various sophisticated security features. So, the use of 33 traditional batik motifs printed with special technology is not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for security reasons," Napitupulu said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

At the forum attended by representatives of 193 ICAO member countries, he informed that the passport chip has been connected to a radio antenna to allow for safer storage of biometric data and the holder's digital signature.

"The biodata page made of polycarbonate also makes this passport more durable and difficult to counterfeit," he said.

In addition, he emphasized that the new design of the Indonesian passport is an effort by Immigration to strengthen travel documents.

"The use of a combination of security features, raw materials, and other latest techniques according to ICAO standards is a major concern to ensure that the passport can be protected while being used for international crossings while promoting Indonesian culture with its beautiful design," he said.

During the symposium, the technique of changing shape or morphing, which poses a threat to the security of international travel documents, was discussed.

"Morphing allows someone to combine the faces of two different people in a photo so that it can be used to forge identities. To anticipate this threat, countries in the world continue to develop more sophisticated security technologies and procedures, including Indonesia," Napitupulu informed.

The ICAO Symposium took place in Montreal, Canada, from November 13–15, 2024. The forum discussed current issues in managing traveler identities.

Indonesia joined the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD) network in 2019. PKD is a central repository controlled by ICAO as a medium for authenticating travel documents for each registered country and as per the format of the travel document reader machine to ensure its validity.

ICAO PKD membership allows Indonesia to exchange information with other countries to verify the authenticity of travel documents and increase cooperation in combating transnational crimes involving document misuse.

"We have joined the ICAO PKD network. Thus, our passports have been registered in the international travel information system and thus, information regarding the travel document will be shared with all international crossings of ICAO members that have registered for PKD," he added//Antara-VOI