According to the government information services the new passport has complex security features.

The department of home affairs as part of its turnaround programme, has employed a multi-pronged approach to improve the security of the South African passport, said safety and security minister Nathi Mthethwa, Thursday.

“As part of its turnaround strategy, the department of home affairs is working to improve the integrity of enabling documents such as identity documents and passports, closing loopholes previously used by non-South African citizens to apply for a birth certificate and tightening the production process for the identity document.”

Mthethwa said the department is also introducing an online fingerprint verification system that will eliminate the role of third parties in the application and collection of passports.

Home affairs minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said with the help of the new online verification system, when passports are produced at immigration points, the fingerprints that appear on them would be checked against those that appear on the online system to ensure they match.

“There are many ways that we have devised to intercept elements that are abusing passports,” the minister said.