Issued by: Department of Home Affairs
MEDIA RELEASE
The Department of Home Affairs will release a new Republic of South Africa passport with advanced security features in April 1996. The passport will come in three types namely the normal, official and the document for travel purposes. Each passport will have its own colour. The normal will be gree, the official blue and the document for travel purposes black.
The cover material as well as the paper for the passport will be manufactures by a company specialising in the production of material with security features and will only be supplied to the Government Printing Works, who will manufacture the passport. This will curb the forging of passports to a large extent.
Some security features of the new passport will be the line drawing of the Union Buildings and the invisible security fibres and dots which will show up under specific light sensitiviy. A miniprinted secuite, while th sewingthread will appear as ordinary white cotton to the eye but will fluorence in two colours under light.
The Department has also made provision for an emergency passport that will only be issued in cases where a person has lost his passport abroad. The emergency passport will be valid for one journey, via certain countries, enabling the person to reach his destination.
Issued by: Subdirectorate COMMUNICATION
DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS PLACE: PRETORIA DATE: 1995/10/18