NASSAU, Bahamas – The Government is set to officially launch Machine Readable Passports (MRP) or e-passports by December 5 – a move to combat illegal immigration and other security threats to this country, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs the Hon Brent Symonette has announced.

And, by April 2010, all Bahamian passport holders are required to have such a high-tech document, as mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), of which The Bahamas is a member.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs explained the process and displayed the varied features of the e-passport to the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce during a briefing on Thursday November 15 at the British Colonial Hilton

The e-passport will contain biometric features, such as fingerprints, facial features and other data, using advanced computerized recognition techniques. These would be imprinted on a silicone chip embedded in the passport document.

There are approximately 255,000 Bahamian passport holders. All passport holders will be required to obtain a National Insurance number - a key component in the security features. Passport holders would collect the new passport through fingerprint identification. Children under age 14 would not be fingerprinted.

“The e-passport will be a secured document. “We need to ensure that our passports are resistant to fraudulent use, including the use of lost or stolen passports.” Mr. Symonette said.

The project is set to cost an estimated $12 million, with the implementation of Phases I and II by early to mid 2008. Bahamians can use their existing passports until they expire.

Talks about an e-passport started in 1994 and, on December 22, 2006, the Government entered into a contract with Indusa Global, a Greenville, South Carolina-based IT development and consulting firm to spearhead the project.

The contract calls for an e-passport issuance system, machine readable Visa system, E-identification issuance – work permit, spousal permit, permanent residence, home owners residence smart cards, and border control management system.

In addition to these systems, a supporting Key Management System (KMS) for the generation and management of digital security keys for protecting and accessing the data stored in the passports and cards, was launched on Friday, November 9.

The KMS is used to add security to The Bahamas passport chips and smart cards and forms the basis of authenticating that the e-passport and e-IDs are in fact issued by The Bahamas Government.

The project is an integrated one with the Ministry of National Security – Department of Immigration and the Data Processing Unit of the Ministry of Finance.

The implementation of the e-passport system will continue in four phases; Phases I and II through June, 2008. Applications would be received in Freeport, the Family Islands and the Bahamas Overseas Missions. However, e-passports would only be produced in New Providence, at an affordable cost.

If a United States Visa in the expired passport extends beyond 2010, Bahamians were urged to secure both documents; stapling them together would be prohibited to allow for uninterrupted reading of the e-passport when travelling.

“The e-passport project is of significant national and international importance and will lead to the enhancement of the security of our state and the easing of the passage of our citizens throughout the world,” Mr. Symonette told the Chamber of Commerce.

A slide presentation of the process was conducted by Jill Ram, chief operating officer and vice president of product development of Indusa.

Similar meetings were held with senior Government officials, personnel in various government departments and those directly involved in aviation, security and border control.

NASSAU, The Bahamas – Jill Ram, chief operating officer and vice president of product development Indusa, displays samples of the new Bahamian passports as she speaks at a meeting on the launch of the e-passport at the Hilton hotel on Thursday, November 15, 2007. (BIS Photo/Tim Aylen)