Passports issued from October this year will contain microchips containing a digitised image of the holder's face along with their personal details, it was announced yesterday, writes Carl O'Brien, Social Affairs Correspondent
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said the move was due mainly to a requirement from US immigration that all countries participating in the visa-waiver scheme begin producing biometric passports by October 27th this year.
Existing Irish passports will continue to be accepted until they expire.
New legislation to be enacted in the coming months will also introduce a series of new offences relating to the use of a false Irish passport.
The Minister declined to say whether the new offences were related to the circumstances surrounding the "Colombia Three" affair, except to say that a "number of high-profile cases" had underlined the need for new legislation.
The extent of the new penalties had yet to be decided, but Mr Ahern said they would be "increased" and "severe".
He also insisted that the new biometric passports would not contain any additional information than was on existing passports.
The digitised facial image will make processing of visas faster and easier, while also helping to cut down on potential fraud.
"People may be concerned that this is a move towards finger-printing and using other data. We're not doing that. We're just using a photo that is given by an individual and putting that into a microchip instead of putting a photo physically onto a passport," Mr Ahern said,
He said new legislation would ensure that biometric data was properly regulated and stored.
The Minister plans to advise the Data Protection Commissioner and the Irish Human Rights Commission on the plans.
The cost of introducing the new passports is estimated at €8.8 million and is the product of a project between the Department of Foreign Affairs and BearingPoint Ireland Ltd.
The legislation will also provide for transsexuals to have their "reoriented" gender recorded on their passport.
This will be done providing that appropriate medical evidence is supplied, certifying that gender reorientation has taken place.
While passports have tended to be given to transsexuals on an occasional basis in the past, it is likely to be the first legislative recognition of gender change.
New offences for the misuse or abuse of passports will cover areas such as wilfully destroying a passport; obtaining a passport fraudulently; producing a false passport.
Ironically, several years after the practice was discontinued by the Government, the sale of passports will also become an offence.
The new passports are currently undergoing testing in the Netherlands and will be tested in the US shortly.
As well as new conditions set by the US for the production of biometric passports, Mr Ahern said the new technology would be needed shortly as the European Union brought in similar measures.
"The need for passport legislation must be understood against a background of heightened public awareness of passport regulations. We need primary legislation in this area to safeguard the Passport Office from legal challenges."
He added: "Ireland is internationally recognised as having one of the most advanced passport documents in the world. The proposed legislation will further augment the trust that the international community places in our passports."
Officials say more than 680,000 passports were issued last year. An estimated 100,000 passport have been lost or accidentally destroyed.