The changes, minor or major, shaping international travel in the post-pandemic era include the redesign of US passports as a “smarter, safer and better” travel document. The Next Generation Passport of America comes with enhanced design and security upgrades. If you apply for passport renewal or a new passport for the first time, chances are that you get to possess a passport smaller but better than your existing passport book. Reportedly, the Next Generation Passport (NGP) has been issued to over two million US citizens since March 2021.
Picture Credit: US State Department
“The rollout of the Next Generation Passport is a multiyear process. Hence, both the ePassport and the NGP book will be issued simultaneously through August 2022,” said an official from the Department of State. Once all the 29 passport agencies and centers are equipped with NGP printers, the State Department will scale up the pace of issuing the upgraded and redesigned version. “We are on track to offer NGP books nationwide by the end of 2022,” added the official. Starting 2023, both new and renewed passports are expected to be the Next Generation Passport.
Is the previous generation passport book or ePassport not secure and valid anymore? Your old US passport or ePassport is equally valid for overseas travel until it expires. You can continue to use your existing passport of the previous generation for boarding international flights to India or any other destination. The previous generation passports of America do still continue to meet the security parameters; hence, one’s passport data is protected.
New Features of the United States’ Next Generation Passport
While the previous generation passports are secure enough to protect your identity, the Next Generation Passport integrates security upgrades against such ill practices as counterfeiting and data hacks. Polycarbonate data page, laser engraved personalization, and new perforated alphanumeric passport number are among the enhanced security features that make the new US passport version an extremely safe travel document.
The multi-layered plastic data page is part of the robust design that makes the new version of the US passport durable. The polycarbonate data page that contains the passport holder’s name, nationality and date of birth comes with laser engraving of his/her black and white photo. This is the most notable change to the Next Generation Passport and a key difference with the old generation passport books. The data page is further strengthened with an optically variable feature adjacent to the laser engraved photo.
Page 3 is now the location of the endorsement page on the new passport version. The standard volume of an NGP book is smaller than that of the old version. A standard NGP book has 26 pages, according to the Department of State. As part of the redesign, the visa pages showcase enhanced artwork comprising images of the US history, culture, architecture, landscape and traditions in ink colors.
One of the most noticeable features of America’s Next Generation Passport is an alphanumerical passport number perforated all over the data page, from the right top to the bottom. The new passport number begins with a letter preceding eight numerals.
Does the NGP come with more than 26 pages? Is there a non- standard size of 54 pages?