Albanian passport

The front cover of a contemporary Albanian biometric passport Rigid data page of the biometric passport, made from polycarbonate plastic with the microchip embedded The Albanian passport is a travel and identity document that is issued to citizens who are nationals of Albania, and allows them to travel abroad1. The authority responsible for issuing is the Ministry of Interior. Contents 1 Biometric passport 1.1 Physical appearance 2 History 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Biometric passport Starting in May 2009, the Albanian Government, as part of a larger project to modernize and bring to the best international standards, has started issuing biometric passport 2 and biometric ID card3 for its citizens. From 1 January 2011 the biometric will be the only Albanian passport in circulation. In order to get the passport each Albanian citizen may go to the local post office and pay the price of 6,000 (six thousand) lek (€50) and afterwards go to the Registry office of the municipality where the person is photographed, and the fingerprints are digitized. The data collected are sent to the center of production in Tirana. Before delivery to the holder, the biometric passport and the electronic ID card need to be activated by reading the fingerprints of the holder with a special device that recognizes the correspondence with impressions that are present in the microchip. The ideation and the way of producing the new Albanian e-Passport is made in front of a single civil servant (personal identification, photographing, finding fingerprints, and digital signature) makes this document one of the most reliable and advanced in the world.citation needed The switch to a biometric passport was one of the conditions for the Schengen Area visa liberalization for the citizens of Albania4. Physical appearance The data page of the passport is from rigid polycarbonate plastic and contains a microchip embedded in which are stored biometric data of the holder such as fingerprints, photo and signature. The data are extracted from the chip with wireless RFID technology. It has excellent safety standards and anti counterfeiting.citation needed The photo is scanned on the page and is replied by side and it is UV reactive. The alphanumeric code at the bottom of the data page makes it readable with optical scanners, such as the airport ones. The code includes microprinting, holographic images, images visible only with UV light, filigree and other details. The Albanian biometric passport meets all standards set by International Civil Aviation Organization.citation needed The data is written in Albanian and English. The passport is valid for 10 years. History The first Albanian passports were issued in the 1920s, when the consolidation of the Albanian state began. During the communist period from 1945 until 1991, Albania did not allow foreign travel of its citizens and therefore did not issue ordinary passports for foreign travel, only diplomatic and service passports in limited number. Since the change of the political system the authorities issue passports to all Albanian citizens who request it. From 1991 until 1996 the passport was red and did not contain any safety element if not a dry stamp on the photo. The data were written by hand. It still had the Albanian communist Coat of Arms. From 1996 until 2002, the passport was brown and had the first security elements as the data page and the photo was laminated. The data were written by machine. It was manufactured by a Canadian company. The passport issued in 2002 and still in circulation is red and has safety standards and anti counterfeiting similar to the biometric passport except the microchip. It is manufactured by German Bundesdruckerei. From 2009 the biometric passport is burgundy coloured, similar to those of the European Union. It is manufactured by French company Sagem Sécurité 5 Gallery Albanian passports Albanian passport 1991 Albanian passport 1996 Albanian passport issued in 2002. Albanian biometric passport 2009 Albanian and European Union biometric passport issued in 2009 See also Albania portal Albanian Identity Card Visa requirements for Albanian citizens List of passports List of diplomatic missions in Albania List of diplomatic missions of Albania Foreign relations of Albania Border crossings of Albania References ^ Passport law (alb) ^ Procedures to obtain the passport (alb) ^ Modernization project helps improve public services in Albania ^ Albania's ID cards and biometric passports key to visa regime, elections ^ Sagem Sécurité to produce Albanian biometric passports External links Ministria e Punëve të Jashtme / Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania Ministria e Punëve të Brendshme / Ministry of Internal Affairs of Albania Policia e Shtetit / Albanian State Police v · d · ePassports (gallery) By continent Africa Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · DR Congo · Rep. 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