New Passport

By its very nature non-transferable, a passport is a defining element of personal identity. But a passport does not just identify its bearer. It carries the identity of a people, representing their entire heritage.
The passport is exactly like an identity: it has marks that make it unique and some hidden secrets. Every individual has an identity. As does every passport.
The new Portuguese passport is part of a new generation of passports launched in 2006, the Portuguese Electronic Passport, which adopted the acronym “PEP” as its name.
But the similarities with its predecessor end there. It has fully innovative design and security technology. The safety regulations in ID and travel documents advise that as a matter of national and international security regular upgrades should be made to keep the passport protected from criminal networks dedicated to document forgery.
Throughout its lifetime, the anti-tampering safeguards of the PEP and the aesthetic beauty of its design have been a source of pride. In its multiple dimensions, the new Portuguese Electronic Passport (PEP2v1) continues this heritage of innovation. If identity is our heritage, our heritage will be our identity in the world.
The new graphical concept of the national passport presents an immense journey, something which is written into the DNA of the nation. An unrepeatable journey, as all journeys are, presented on each page of the passport. But that is not the only difference. No other Portuguese passport has featured such aesthetic distinction, with each page offering a unique design. At the same time, this allows complex and sophisticated new document security systems to be integrated into the document, features which have been developed specifically for this passport by a large multidisciplinary team of experts working in concert. The design process included the long, meticulous task of developing an invisible technological “filigree” to complement the document image, making this passport and its entire information and management system more efficient and secure, which is of vital importance in our times.
There are infinite details in this passport that slowly reveal themselves to the naked eye and others that are more hidden from sight. On the main biographical page, the key page in any passport, a huge range of security features have been adopted, optimising not only the effectiveness of the document but also the processing speed on the part of authorities. Its cover also holds its secrets. As a symbol par excellence of the individuality and collective unity of a nation, the graphic design was developed so that several Portuguese passports together form the national Coat of Arms.
The tangible and intangible aspects of Portuguese heritage which have been given UNESCO World Heritage status are the theme for the interior pages of the new passport. A theme without precedent in the world of passports. Its pages feature elements of tangible and intangible heritage chosen for UNESCO status up to December 2015, when this project was closed.
The passport features a set of 20 elements that guide us harmoniously through the national territory and the symbols of our art, making the passport a serendipitous exhibition space that represents the splendour and uniqueness of our vast historical and cultural legacy, and where the modernity of Portugal and the breadth of its creative expression are indelibly inscribed. This passport is both a travel document and an invitation to travel the world. It is our identity in transit and makes our starting point a destination.