Manama: Per the royal directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to provide modern and integrated services to citizens and the follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa launched today the e-passport of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani, Minister of Finance and National Economy Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunication Mohammed Thamer Al Kaabi, Chief of Public Security Lt-General Tariq Al Hassan, Governors, Interior Ministry Undersecretary, and officials attended.
The Interior Minister expressed gratitude for the milestone, highlighting 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 launching the e-passport is a turning point in facilitating travel procedures for citizens.
He highlighted the timeline for achieving the Cabinet’s initiatives to develop the services of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) as part of the economic recovery plan, including the electronic passport. He confirmed that the implementation process is moving forward at a steady pace.
The Interior Minister thanked and appreciated the Interior Ministry Undersecretary, NPRA team and the concerned e-passport committee for their role and efforts to achieve this milestone that would contribute to facilitating the movements of citizens.
He said that the e-passport is an achievement that could improve the classification of the passport of the Kingdom of Bahrain globally due to its high quality, characteristics and security specifications, which adhere to accuracy and all international standards in this regard, in addition to helping to obtain visas and get visa exemption from various countries of the world.
Meanwhile, NPRA Undersecretary Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa hailed in a speech the support and follow-up of the Interior Minister. He said that he was dedicated to making the project an NPRA priority.
He added that the Interior Minister followed up on the project’s progress and was aware of all its details, thus contributing to launching a remarkable passport in all aspects. He explained that this passport aims to facilitate the travel experience for citizens by facilitating the process of travelling and transiting at airports because it contains an electronic chip that includes all vital data of its holder.
He pointed out that with the directives of the Interior Minister to implement the project, many views and ideas have been developed, leading to realising the importance of issuing a passport that reflects the ancient Bahraini civilisation, and highlights the current development and the vision of its leadership.
He also highlighted the importance of the passport as it abides by the most prominent modern security technologies.
The ceremony included a presentation on the project’s phases, from the designing stages to the final design, the security, technical and beauty characteristics that reflect Bahrain through artistic paintings that tell the story of the past, present and bright future.
After that, the Interior Minister honoured the project’s committee members, including representatives from the Foreign Ministry, the Transportation and Telecommunication Ministry, the Information and e-Government Authority and the NPRA. He thanked them for their efforts and wished them all the best in serving the nation.
The Interior Minister also toured an exhibition organized by NPRA on the sideline of the ceremony displaying some historical documents and images about the project’s progress. He hailed the advanced items showcased at the exhibition, including the advanced technology that contributed to reaching out to the current high-tech e-passport.
