Canada introduces new passports, with computer chips, historical watermarks

Published October 26, 2012 | 11:04 am

SAANJ NEWS

Ottawa: To keep a check against counterfeiting, Canadian passports are being upgraded to include chip technology and watermark images.

Each blank page of the document will also contain watermarks depicting iconic images from Canadian history including sports scenes and Canadian landmarks.

Besides making it more secure and less vulnerable to counterfeiting, the new features will also add to the aesthetic appeal of the document.

Foreign Minister John Baird unveiled the new images for the now-blank inside pages of Canadian passports today at news conference.

The ePassports will also include a computer chip, technology already used in 95 other countries.

Canadians will be able to renew their passports for five years for $120 or 10 years for $160, Passport Canada has said. Current passports are renewable every five years.

Fees for adult passports now range from $82 to $97.

Posted by Saanj News on October 26, 2012. Filed under CANADA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry