Thales and Infineon Win Passport Security Contract in the US

A contract to provide the US State Department with passport electronics and software has been awarded to Thales and Infineon. 

The US Government Publishing Office (GPO) has awarded a contract for security features, including the chip, software, and packaging, in the US passport. The contract has been awarded to Thales DIS USA, Inc and Infineon Technologies Americas Corporation, and allows for the companies to supply these security solutions for up to 10 years. 

GPO manufactures the US passport – including many of its components – for the Department of State, which then personalises the book for American travellers, government officials, and diplomats. 

‘The US passport is one of the most important documents GPO produces,’ said GPO Director Hugh Nathanial Halpern. ‘We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with the Department of State and are committed to delivering a first-rate product and customer experience. Awarding these contracts will allow us to continue producing the world’s most advanced and secure passport.’ 

GPO has produced the US passport for the Department of State since 1926. GPO began using electronic security features in the US Passport in 2005 and currently produces the Next Generation Passport, which incorporates important new features that make the book difficult to compromise. The Department of State issued a record number of 22 million passports in FY 2022 and is on track to break that number in FY 2023. 

GPO is the federal government’s resource for publishing trusted information to the American people. It is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the government, including US passports for the Department of State as well as the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other federal agencies in digital and print formats. 

The contract value was not disclosed.