HID’s Bahrain ePassport Design Gains Recognition at London Design Awards

HID, a trusted identity solutions leader, recently received acclaim at the London Design Awards for its Bahrain ePassport design.

The awards ceremony, organised by the International Awards Associate (IAA), acknowledged HID’s achievement with 10 awards, including three gold and seven silver, underlining the company’s proficiency in secure document design. This accomplishment adds to HID’s track record of providing electronic passport solutions for Estonia, Malta, Tanzania, and Ireland, which have each been awarded with the High Security Printing (HSP) Awards in consecutive years.

 

The Bahrain ePassport design, led by Mathew Sugdon and his team at HID’s Basingstoke office (UK), marked a significant milestone for Bahrain as it transitioned from a machine-readable passport to an electronic format.

Featuring 10 distinct visa page designs, each page highlights different facets of Bahrain’s culture and history, present and future, such as its marine life and Formula One racing. It is also the world’s first passport to incorporate a hashtag, #teambahrain, reflecting a contemporary approach to national identity.

Bahrain ePassport (© Nationality, Passports & Residence Affairs).

 

In addition to design accolades, HID’s contract to supply Bahrain with an end- to-end ePassport solution represents a significant step for the Gulf nation on its identity journey. The solution, supported by HID’s chip operating system SOMA™ and HID Integrale™, will store biometric and biographic data, enhancing overall security and convenience for citizens and aligning Bahrain with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Public Key Directory (PKD) group (see IDN March 2023).

Sheikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Undersecretary of Nationality, Passports & Residence Affairs, commented: ‘this award is a proud moment for our nation, demonstrating our commitment to excellence in design and showcasing our innovation on a global platform’.