Layout of Finnish passport, ID card to change

Passports and identity cards issued by the Finnish authorities will have a new appearance as of March 13, said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in in a press release on Monday.

Minor technical adjustments will also be made to residence permit cards and residence cards.

The changes will have no effect on the validity of previously issued passports, identity cards or residence permit documents.

Following a competitive tendering, Thales DIS Finland was selected as the supplier of Finnish passports, identity cards and residence permit cards.

The new contract will be in force for five years. DB Schenker will start as the distributor of licence documents.

There will be changes to the properties and appearance of the licence documents with the new contract.

The theme selected for passports and identity cards is a Finnish national landscape, the Archipelago Sea, and its nature is featured in the visual design and security features of the licence documents.

The most striking changes in the appearance of the licence documents are the minimalistic cover design of passports, the new orange colour of temporary passports and emergency passports, the bigger portrait photo in identity cards, and the 2D barcode for easier scanning.