“The new Austrian passport is a modern and contemporary document for the people of Austria. The option to apply in nearly 900 municipalities and district administrative offices across Austria ensures citizen-friendly service,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner during the presentation on November 24, 2023, at the Ministry of the Interior. “Thanks to the close collaboration between the Austrian State Printing Office, experts from the Federal Criminal Police, and the State Criminal Police Departments in Burgenland and Lower Austria, the Austrian passport is among the most secure in the world,” Karner added.

A completely Re-designed Passport

In use in its previous form since 2006, Austrians can apply for the new passport at passport offices and authorized municipalities starting from December 1, 2023. The new passport generation now features a completely revamped design: the cover has been entirely redesigned and includes the word “Austria” in tactile Braille for individuals with visual impairments. The data page of the passport is the document’s centerpiece and is now entirely made of polycarbonate, providing the highest protection against manipulation and counterfeiting. In addition to many other security features, modern high-tech security elements such as a laser-image perforation feature and a laser flip image are integrated into the passport.

Easy Verification through CHECK-AT Service

“Personal identity can only be protected if an ID can be easily and securely verified,” emphasized Helmut Lackner, CEO of the Austrian State Printing House. The CHECK-AT Service, developed by the Austrian State Printing House on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior, supports this: the QR code, already familiar from the Austrian ID card, is now also present in the new passport. With the free CHECK-AT app, citizens can easily and securely verify selected security features of the new Austrian passport – in a few seconds and without special expertise. The CHECK-AT app assists in assessing whether a genuine document is presented.

Intensive Collaboration in Development

Since May 2020, an expert team from the Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Criminal Police, and the State Police Directorates of Lower Austria and Burgenland, together with experts from the State Printing House, have been working on the new document. “In intensive collaboration, we have developed a current, highly secure document. For more than three years, we have been developing the new passport, testing the document, and then starting production,” said Helmut Lackner.

High-Security Design Meets Art

The design of the new passport was carried out in close coordination between the Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Criminal Police, the police, and the Austrian State Printing House. The goal was not only to develop a secure document but also to create an aesthetically pleasing one. Austrian history, Austrian music, domestic rivers and waters, and the indigenous flora of Austria served as inspiring elements for many design features in the new passport.

Picture credit: ©BMI/Jürgen Makowecz