Canada unveils new passport design with more security features, nod to King Charles

[1/5] The cover and back page of the the newly unveiled Canadian passport, featuring a polycarbonate data page and embedded electronic passport chip, is seen in a design reproduction on its release in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada May 10, 2023.

May 10 (Reuters) - Canada on Wednesday unveiled a new design for passports with advanced security features including a new series with reference to His Majesty King Charles III, as part of a regular upgrade.

The new passport will display a Coat of Arms, making Canada among the first in the Commonwealth to introduce a travel document series that references King Charles III, the IRCC said. It will show the Queen's Coat of Arms as the passport's creation came before the King approved the new version.

The new features include personal information engraved with lasers instead of printed in ink on its polycarbonate data page, a design that has strong anti-fraud components.

It will also include a Kinegram over the main photo, a custom see-through window with a secondary image of the passport holder, a variable laser image, and a temperature-sensitive ink feature, a press release by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said.

The Canadian passport is ranked fourth globally for its mobility score by the Passport Index, alongside seven other countries including the United States, Australia, and Japan. It is ranked 26th globally for its visa characteristics, which authorizes passport holders visa-free entry into 115 countries, with 51 countries permitting a visa on arrival.

The United Arab Emirates is the top globally rated passport.

Canada's new passport will begin rolling out late summer and it will also allow citizens to renew their travel document online.

The new cover will have an outline of a maple leaf and visa pages will exhibit seasonal art that changes under ultraviolet light.

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