Buzz
New Zealand passports utilize a special technology that has led many to compare it to wizardry in the Harry Potter world.
The Enchantment of 'Magic' Ink on New Zealand Passports
On the information page of the New Zealand passport holder, you'll notice a small green fern. It's printed using vibrant thermal ink technology, allowing the image to change colors based on temperature.
To verify the authenticity of a passport, immigration officers will place a finger on the fern. If it's a genuine passport, the fern will disappear.
The integration of technology into New Zealand passports is crucial in the context of increasing travel demand. Maria Robertson, representing the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs, stated that the demand for new passports or passport renewals has significantly increased compared to the past 2 years affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. There have been 403,882 passports issued this year (as of November 30). This number for the entire year of 2021 was only 148,192.
The waiting time for New Zealand passports has also been reduced, from 20 days earlier this year to just 5 days now. Alongside the increasing travel demand of the citizens, the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs also concerns about the potential for passport fraud. These passports are among the most powerful in the world. A representative from this agency stated they will introduce additional security technologies such as the disappearing fern every few years.
Not only to prevent passport forgery, but New Zealand also employs highly secure systems to avoid cases of stolen blank passports. According to Stuff, if even one goes missing or is printed out of sequence, authorities will immediately launch an investigation. However, so far, there have been no reported incidents.
According to Monster
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References: Mytour Travel Handbook
MytourDecember 8th, 2022
