11 Jun 2009
The government has awarded a £400m contract to deliver the next generation of UK biometric passports to smartcard specialist De La Rue.
The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) said the documents will give citizens added protection from identity theft because they contain fingerprint biometrics.
From 2006 passports have been issued with a chip containing a digital photo of the holder and personal details, but fingerprints have not been included until now.
James Hall, chief executive of the IPS, said: "The British passport is recognised as one of the best in the world and we want to keep it that way. Today we are affirming our commitment to making this travel document more secure than ever by using fingerprint biometrics."
The contract will run for 10 years.
Earlier this year, the IPS issued contracts for an Application and Enrolment (A&E) system to replace the current passport application system, and a contract for a biometric database to replace existing systems used by the UK Border Agency.
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