Interior Minister launches e-Passport

Manama, March 12 (BNA): Based on the royal directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to provide modern and integrated services to citizens and follow up on His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Crown Prince. Today, the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, launched the electronic passport of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Minister of Finance and National Economy Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Transport and Communications Muhammad Thamer Al-Kaabi, Chief of Public Security Lieutenant-General Tariq Al-Hassan, governors, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, and officials. attended it.

The Minister of Interior expressed his gratitude for this achievement, pointing out that the project reflects the capabilities and determination of the national workforce to contribute to enhancing performance and achieving excellence in services. He said that the launch of the electronic passport is a turning point in facilitating travel procedures for citizens. He highlighted the timetable for achieving the Cabinet’s initiatives to develop nationality, passport and residency affairs services as part of the economic recovery plan, including the electronic passport. He emphasized that the implementation process was moving forward at a steady pace.

The Minister of Interior thanked and appreciated the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, the NPRA team and the concerned ePassports Committee for their role and efforts to achieve this achievement, which would contribute to facilitating citizens’ movements. He said that the electronic passport is an achievement that can improve the classification of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s passport globally because of its high quality, characteristics and security specifications that adhere to accuracy and all international standards in this regard, in addition to assisting in obtaining visas and obtaining visa exemptions from various countries of the world.

For his part, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Sheikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, praised in his speech the support and follow-up of the Minister of Interior. He said he was dedicated to making the project a priority for the NPRA. He added that the Minister of Interior followed the progress of work on the project and was aware of all its details, which contributed to the issuance of a distinguished passport in all aspects. He explained that this passport aims to facilitate the travel experience for citizens by facilitating the travel and transit process at airports because it contains an electronic chip that includes all the vital data of its holder. He pointed out that under the directives of the Minister of Interior to implement the project, many opinions and ideas were developed, which led to the realization of the importance of issuing a passport that reflects the ancient Bahraini civilization, and highlights the current development and vision of its project. Leadership.

He also highlighted the importance of the passport, as it adheres to the most prominent modern security technologies.

The ceremony included a presentation on the stages of the project, from the design stages to the final design, and the security, technical and aesthetic characteristics that reflect Bahrain through artistic paintings that tell the story of the past, present and bright future.

After that, the Minister of Interior honored the members of the project committee, including representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Information and e-Government Authority, and the National Authority for Human Resources Management. He thanked them for their efforts and wished them all success in serving the country.

His Excellency the Minister of Interior also toured the exhibition organized by the NPRA on the sidelines of the ceremony to display some historical documents and photos about the progress of the project. He praised the advanced elements that were displayed at the exhibition, including the advanced technology that contributed to reaching the current high-tech electronic passport.

AOQ