Royal Oman Police are operating an electronic passport system in the Sultanate. Applicants will be issued with digital travel documents.
The product used is Gemalto’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) compliant Sealys ePassport documents, and Coesys to enroll citizens, personalise and issue secure documents. The multi-year contract also covers training, support and maintenance.
Main Royal Oman Police offices will be equipped with fixed and mobile stations to register ePassport applicants with personal information and biometric data. Each ePassport will feature secure eTravel embedded software and a contactless microprocessor which will contain the holder’s digital fingerprints and photograph. This will facilitate Omani travelers immigration control, and it is claimed speed the passport application and document issuance process.
Major General Dr Sulaiman Al-Harthy, of the Royal Oman Police said: “With this project we aim at offering security, flexibility and convenience to our citizens. Gemalto will support the smooth integration of the solution with the existing national registry system for eID cards. Gemalto has valuable experience in implementing ePassport programs globally and will provide us with local support through their offices in the Sultanate.”
“Oman has been a pioneer in implementing advanced eGovernment solutions, being the first country in the GCC to issue its citizens with Gemalto electronic ID cards in 2002,” said Hisham Surakhi, Vice President for Government Programs in the Middle East at Gemalto. “Now Oman is going one step further, complementing its electronic secure documents portfolio to make international travel simpler for its citizens, setting the pace in the region.”
In the public sector, Gemalto is contributing to more than 80 government schemes, supporting for example ePassport initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, Estonia, France, Korea, Norway, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Singapore, Sweden and the United States of America.
