SINGAPORE — the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore is looking to upgrade the country’s passport system, including ways to make the passport more secure by using iris scans to identify travellers. It is currently calling for proposals from the industry, to help design such a system.

With more people taking to travelling, faster and more secure clearances, are needed, experts have said. This is why some countries are exploring biometric data which includes a person’s finger prints, voice, images of eyes and even veins.

“If you’re talking about twins, it’s possible to have the same face,” said Mr Yue Chin Beng, regional sales director of network and cyber security provider Fortinet. “But vein structures are very different. Studies are still ongoing, but as far as we know, they’re as good as DNA.”

Fingerprints and images of the iris are more commonly used for biometric data. “It’s like building up a cake,” said Mr Gautam Paul, sales director for the Asia-Pacific region for IAI Industrial Systems. “You have to have multiple layers on it. If you have one layer of security and that’s breached, your passport system will fail. But if you add on multiple layers, that’s the only way to become secure.”

Lawyers said it is a straightforward process, if Singapore decides to include more biometric features to passports.

“The Government can - or the minister - could easily just, by way of a gazette notification, include iris information. And then when you go and apply for a passport, you will have to get an iris scan done,” said Partner of Rodyk and Davidson, Mr Gilbert Leong.

Experts said authorities can choose to add on as many security features as possible to passports, but that it is only meaningful if other countries have the systems and capabilities to read the information.

Nevertheless, an enhanced passport ensures that people who enter a country can only do so with an authentic passport. The added security features on passport, will also make it harder to breach a country’s borders. CHANNEL NEWSASIA