The UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) concluded its participation in the recently-held High Security Printing Latin America (HSPLA) conference in Nassau, Bahamas.
High Security Printing (HSP) conferences are annual events with a specifically regional focus. They cover government-specified and issued documents, including currency, fiduciary documents, excise stamps, ID cards, e-passports, visas, vehicle documents, and licences, with a particular emphasis on banknotes and emerging technologies for ID and travel documents. Running in tandem with each event is a trade exhibition of some 30 exhibitors working in the currency, e-passport, smart card, authentication, and related industries.
The UAE authority’s participation came within the framework of reviewing the new Emirates ID card and e-passport, which incorporates exceptional technical features for security documents that fulfill the latest security and technological requirements in proving personal identity.
Brigadier General Matar Kharbash Al-Saadi, Director of Information Technology at the ICP, and head of the UAE delegation to the Caribbean island nation, said that the authority’s participation reviewed the reasons for the transformation of security documents, the features and technical specifications that characterize the UAE passport, such as its visa-free travel privileges to most places that enhances flexibility in safe movement across international transit points, and the relentless effort of the UAE government in making the UAE passport the most powerful ID and travel document in the world.
During the conference, Al-Saadi also spoke about the advanced features of the new Emirates ID card to protect citizens from fraudulent activities and loss of personal data, including protection from non-visible data through the e-link system, higher chip capacity and non-touch data reading features, high-quality polycarbonate finish for longer service life of the card, 3D photograph of the cardholder for better identification, and inclusion of additional fields of information like professional data, issuing authority, and population group.
He also spoke of the importance of participating in such international conferences that helps in furthering opportunities to access and gain knowledge of best practices and benchmarking. The developments in various works and activities undertaken by the ICP in achieving the strategic objectives of the authority to support the national goals in enhancing the international competitiveness of the UAE were also discussed.
The UAE delegation also had a live presentation of the specifications and characteristics of the personal identification documents, and reviewed the UAE Golden Visa, a residency visa for investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, professionals, exceptional talents, and frontline heroes, to highlight the country’s competitiveness in supporting development in various economic, investment, and service sectors, by attracting competency and offering privileges by the state.
Around 40 countries participated in the Latin American edition. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security had won the 2023 Best New National eID Card award for its Emirates ID card in the previously-held High Security Printing EMEA event in Abu Dhabi on 7-9 March, 2023.
