The introduction of portrait-format identity cards signifies a shift in how governments approach ID design. With Iceland’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) compliant vertical ID launched in 2024 and Cameroon’s in 2025 (see page 4), the transition from landscape to portrait layouts offers a new canvas for optical security.

At the recent High Security Printing™ (HSP) EMEA conference in Basel (3-5 February), Georgios Tziovaras, Global Business Development Manager at Covestro Specialty Films, highlighted the crucial role of holography and advanced optical technologies in modern identity documents.

In a collaborative development, Banknote Corporation of India (BCA) joined 4Plate, Covestro, Luminescence, and IQ Structures to introduce the Milano card (collectible), a bold celebration of creativity and innovation.

The National Agency for Identity Data (RvIG) has started circulating the new model of Dutch travel documents, including passports and identity cards, to combat fraud, abuse, and forgery.

As identity document forgery becomes increasingly sophisticated, the need for advanced security features in polycarbonate ID documents has become more critical. One such innovation is Flow Print, an optically variable security feature designed to combat sophisticated attempts at document fraud.

Since physical documents such as national passports remain the root of trust for establishing identities, it is paramount to stay well ahead of counterfeiters. Advanced diffractive optically variable image devices (DOVIDs) have emerged as crucial components in securing identity documents against counterfeiting and manipulation.

In this article, Dr Mark Deakes from ITW Speciality Films, part of the US- headquartered ITW Group, gives some insights into the crucial role holography plays in securing government ID documents.

As IQ Structures, a member of the IQS Group, expands its capacity to protect over 1 billion documents a year, it is looking at ways to simplify the job of the document inspector and frustrate the work of the counterfeiter.

Holography, and other optical security devices, have become a mainstay of document design when it comes to protecting the photo and personally identifiable information on ID cards, passports, visa stickers and other documents for authenticating a person.