Bahrain will begin the process for the issuance of the new E-Passports on March 20, as part of the Kingdom’s digital transformation.
This was announced by Interior Ministry’s Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA), Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa at a press conference.
“The Nationality, Passports, and Residence Affairs will first issue the e-passport to those whose passports have expired and those that are nearing the expiry date,” he said.
Shaikh Hisham said that the issuance of the e-passport reflects the Kingdom of Bahrain’s interest in digital transformation, explaining that the new design contains modern security technologies that are used for the first time.
It is a new passport that represents the new generation of modern documents that guarantee the facilitation of the experience of travel and transit.
He said that the passport contains an electronic chip that raises Bahrain’s global ranking and helps to obtain various visas around the world more easily.
Colin Howell, the representative of HID, said that the data page contains seven protected layers that constitute the highest security standards ever.
Despite the company’s work for 30 years in designing passports around the world, the experience of working with the team in Bahrain was different and unique.
He said that the passport was designed according to a very advanced vision, which bears many cultural meanings as well as nature is present in describing Bahrain as an island and the relationship of its people with the sea.
“There are important symbols in Bahrain’s heritage represented by horses and falcons, and from the sea the beautiful Fisker fish, in addition to the stars, the most important of which is the star of Suhail. All these details have been embodied in the design of the passport,” he said.
“The new design combines the past with the present, as the pages of the passport contain paintings of distinctive urban buildings. The rich history of Bahrain has been merged with the modern, with consideration of many historical and cultural stations. A tale of beauty, civilization, and originality.”
Shaikh Hisham told the conference that the fee for issuing an electronic passport is BD12 while the fee for replacing the passport is 15 dinars.
“The duration of completing the e-passport will not differ from the period of issuing the previous passport, as this depends on the volume of work and the number of passports delivered to the administration. It usually ranges between two days for replacing the regular passport, and five working days for issuing the passport for the first time,” he said.
“We must emphasize the necessity of submitting applications when the passport validity period is close to six months, and this is a necessary matter that must be highlighted, in addition to adhering to the required conditions while submitting a request to the administration to replace the passport, the most prominent of which is the personal photo of the applicant that must meet the requirements.”