Alternative materials fortravel documentsP I E T R O   P A R M E G G I A N I

M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r

B i l c a r e R e s e a r c h

C a r d T R E X E u r o p e – M i l a n 5 ‐ 6   O c t o b e r 2 0 1 7

King Henry V of England is credited

with having invented what some

consider the first true passport, as a

means of helping his subjects prove

who they were in foreign lands.

One of the earliest know referencesis found in 

the Hebrew Bible and states that Nehemiah, 

an official, serving King Artaxerxes I of Persia, 

asked the permission to travel to Judea and

the king gave him a letter requesting safe

passage for him.

FIRST TRUE PASSPORT

FIRST REFERENCE TO PAPERWORK SIMILAR TO PASSPORT

450 BC

FIRST JAPANESE PASSPORT

1540

1866

A travel document is an identity

document issued by a government or

international treaty organization to

facilitate the movement of individuals

or small groups of persons across

international boundaries, following

international agreements.

Travel documents

A rapid expansion of railways, 

infrastructure and wealth in Europe led

to large increase in the volume of

travel. During World War I, European

goverments introduced borders

passport requirements

RAILWAYS AND WW I

FIRST CHINESE PASSPORT  1898

Shape and size of identity cards

were standardized in 1985 and

lately in 1988 by ISO 7816 with

the introduction of smart

cards, better known as e‐ID

cards

ISO/IEC 7810 and 7816

1900’s

1985

They are colloquially called papers

and in fact they have been made of

papers till the introdution of more

modern solutions

Travel documents

Technology runs fast

Evolution of iPhone in the last 10 years10 years is typical lifespan of a travel document

For centuries, paper was the material of choice when

it came to producing identity documents. From 1970s 

onwards, plastic has gradually taken its place. 

Specially‐designed plastics have emerged that enable

the same quality of security printing as that of paper, 

but which are also more secure, more durable and

more pracitcal.

One advantage of plastic is that they can accomodate

the integrated microprocessor used in the most

recent generations of identity documents.

From paper to plastic

2017

2013 25%

53%

102 countries are issuing ePassports

700m ePassports around the world and keep growingmuch more ID cards  

Growing business

The increase in international travel, growing threats from terrorism, high levels of identity fraud as well as illegal immigration means that our travel documents, ID and healthcare documents must be highly secure.

Traditional high security features available for travel documents include guilloches background printing, rainbow printing, invisible fluorescent printing or mixed into visible ink, intaglio printing and micro‐printing. OVIs and modified fonts just to name a few. 

Datapages or cards, tamperproof solid card bodies that are impossible to delaminate and that enable the deployment of some very unique security features.

Materials

Product structure

Technologies

Security features

Graphical design

The various component elements can be made to 

reinforce each other’s effects to provide enhanced 

security on any document.

Security features can be used to protect personalization 

and personalized features can protect datapages.

Integrated approach

Documents verificationIs the document genuine?

Is holder personal data authentic?

Is the person the owner of the document?

The objective is to help Immigration Border 

Control Officer to answer two main questions.

A third one can be answered by fingerprint, iris or 

facial recognition.

Level 4

Laboratory

Level 3

Specific, sophisticated

equipment

Level 1

Bare eye

Level 2

Simple equipment

DOVID

Guilloche

Tactille

Rainbowprinting

MicroprintingUV

Micro‐controller

Digital

watermarks

Taggant

Raising the bar

Combining several security features to make it highly 

problematic for a counterfeiter to master all the various 

techniques (printing, lamination, laser engraving).

Using materials and technologies that are difficult to source.

The implementation of each technology at its highest quality 

and level and the use of materials with limited availability. 

The production of ID documents is a sensitive matter

State‐of‐the‐art production facilities and an 

experienced producer are required to 

manufacture documents that are secure, 

compliant with established standards, 

counterfeit‐proof, durable and, of course, 

easy and reliable to verify in the real and the 

virtual worlds.

Definition of the right materials, unique process and product construction

The set of security features employed to protect a document should encompass diverse and special technologies, the use of rare

materials and processes that require in‐depth expertise.

Materials

Product structure

Technologies

Graphical DesignSecurity Features

Design

Cost

Durability

ThreatprofileArtworkconcept

ThreatassessmentArtworkrequirements

Materials normally considered suitable for ID

In theory there are many choices

PETG

PETix

Polycarbonate = PC

. Melinex

Teslin

is a robust thermoplastic

used for driving licences

and ID cards

is often found in a

composite card

structured with layers of

PVC

is a synthetic paper

material that is flexible, 

highly printable, water

proof and tear resistant

POLICARBONATE = PCTESLIN MELINEX

Options available

For many years the choice of materials for

travel documents has been limited with

typical consequences of a finite offer: 

• restricted output

• asymmetric information

• product inefficiency

PVC has been used for financial cards and identity

documents since 1950s, for more than 60 years

and the wealth of experience accumulated, lessons

learned and consequent improvements made over 

that period have made it the most suitable plastic

for the purpose.

PVC *

* a small “V” between P and C sometimes makes a huge difference

PVCThe polymer science and

manufacturing technology can turn

the design and construction of

advanced and secure travel

documents.

This can be done only with a different

approach and solid vision.

PVC is a thermoplastic with excellent properities.

It’s widely used for a variety of applications.

One important property of PVC documents is that it is not‐delaminable.

It is impossible to separate layers of PVC that have been laminated together using

temperature, pressure and time.

During lamination layers fuses together to form a homgeneous mass, resulting a

single, solid document.

In the identity products, this solid document serves to trap, and thus protect, all the

security feautures that are printed or positioned on its various constituent layers.

Hybrid documents, those made from a mix of plastics, may not share this property.

PVC identity documents support all traditional security features: guilloches, rainbow 

printing, screen printing, optical variable inks, transparent and metallic holograms, 

ultraviolet inks and taggants.

Laser engraving of personal data renders a precise, bold and irreversible mark 

security inside the PVC document. Numerous security features, such as CLI, DOVID 

and window, can be personalized by laser. Depending to the document structure, it 

is possible to create tactile effect by increasing laser power.

The surface of the identity document may have various distinctive, easily 

recognizable textures, such as guilloche, designs, micro‐text and latent surface 

images, created by positive and negative embossing. New features for surface 

embossing include microscale 3D image, braille, optically variable surface with light 

reflecting elements, and animation effects similar to DOVIDs, enhancing the security 

of PVC ID documents.

PVC supports all security features

Each layer has a specific role.

The central layer is generally opaque and white. It can house an antenna to enable 

contactless reading of an electronic chip.

Intermediate layers carry the security imprint and the specific security features such as 

DOVIDs and screen printed OVIs.

A carbon enriched intermediate layer support laser personalization.

The outer layer bears the tactile embossing and the CLI.

A PVC electronic identity document can be contact, contactless or dual‐interface 

functioning in both contact and contactless mode. Dual interface document may have a 

single shared microprocessor or two separate microprocessors for each interface. 

The durability of the PVC document is not affected by the electronic system.

All security imprints and security features are embedded and protected within PVC, 

formed by the fusion of layers. 

Any attempt to tamper with the document will leave clear visible marks.

The most widely used PVC ID personalization technique is laser 

engraving which results in the formation of a permanent black 

mark inside PVC identity document. 

This mark is precise and non reversible. The letters and figures 

are deep black and may have a distinctive texture. The photo 

black and white, with shades of grey and high contrast. 

Personalized engravings are made within the solid PVC 

document and they are therefore irreversible.

Irreversible personalization

The security printing industry has long pursued to unite the benefits of laser‐personalized ID with the detail and richness of a

color photo. Color photo can be personalized on PVC document by “reverse printing” based on a thermal dye sublimation 

technique called D2T2.

PVC datapages offer the highest level of security and 

the use of innovative security features combining 

optical and visual features. No compromise on 

security and durability.

Components sustain real‐world stress of stringent 

day‐to‐day use and thus have a long lifetime up to 10 

years in the field. This is ensured by rigorous 

durability requirements surpassing ICAO and ISO 

standards.

We believe in taking a comprehensive approach to 

security. The extensive experience on PVC to support, 

customers in meeting their expectations for 

distinctive documents that are as secure as they are 

attractive.

Documents that are built to last

Modern identity documents must be tough as well as versatile

Durable

Numerous PVC identity documents have 

been in use, even in the most extreme 

climatic conditions.

Whatever the weather, PVC identity 

documents have proven to have a 

lifespan comfortably of excess of 10 

years. PVC documents excel in extreme 

physical and chemical lab tests, but, 

more importantly, they stand up very 

well to normal, intensive, and even 

excessive use in real situations.

• heat resistant

• high flex

• 10 years durability

• perfect laserability

• resistant to chemicals

• customized security fluorescence

PVC offers

• overlay not delaminable

• processable by expertise only

• full product traceability

• not available for online purchasing

• machine washable

PVC offers

PVC is a thermoplastic made of 57% chlorine (derived from industrial grade 

salt) and 43% carbon (derived predominantly from oil/gas via ethylene). It is

less dependent than other polymers on crude oil or natural gas, which are non 

renewable, and hence can be regarded as a natural resource saving plastic, in 

contrast to plastics such as PC, PE, PP, PET and PS, which are totally dependent

on oil or gas.

Environmental impact

The environmental impact of PVC is the 

most neutral of the plastic options. The current 

production process generates no dangerous residue. 

At the end of use of a PVC product, its combustion 

releases most of the energy used for its manufacturing. 

Furthermore, PVC personalization process relies 

mainly on energy from the laser beam and does not require 

consumable that generate waste.

The price of PVC is irrespective of the number of security features offered

The cost of an identity document must be assessed over the 

whole of its lifetime, from production of the blank document 

to personalization for issue, and right up to the destruction at 

the end of the product’s life. Travel document made of PVC 

costs less than any other documents.

The exceptional durability allows for long reissuance cycles 

up to 10 years and also minimizes the risk and premature 

wear.

To be truly comprehensive, the cost assessment must also 

take into account  that PVC does not require  special printing 

equipment, laminators or punching tools (this is not the case 

for other polymers) therefore offers significant cost saving.

Competitive cost

No matter country is the issuer, today’s identity documents are universally expected to withstand all reasonable stresses: physical tampering, chemicals, temperature fluctuations, environmental conditions, UV radiation and external wear and tear from service lives can stretch to 10 years and more.

ID cards and passport datapages can be tailor made on customer’s needs, one or more personalization technologies such as laser engraving are deployed.This ensures that ID cards and passport datapages offer market leading protection against counterfeiting as well as enhanced durability.

The choice is wide and the customer is ultimately free to choose the material type that fits it best. Regardless of the card material of selected interface, all cards and passport datapages meet international standards and are compatible with a wide variety of security features.

PVC offers

PVC identity documents are secure and reliable, excellent alternatives to 

other polymers. 

They are non delaminable and their personalization by laser engraving is 

irreversible. 

Travel documents incorporate easy to authenticate level‐one security 

features.  The cost of PVC travel document is a fraction of other polymers.

The security industry is constantly engaged in research and development 

activities aimed at developing new and innovative security features. 

Recent innovations are giving additional opportunities to government and 

national printers to seriously consider PVC for their documents projects.

To guarantee a smooth progression to the next generation of secure PVC 

documents, it is important to select partners and suppliers with long 

standing experience of the security printing environment and a proven 

track‐record in document design, manufacturing and issuance.

Bilcare Research is one of such supplier, expert in PVC since 1953.

Pietro ParmeggianiManaging Director

Via XXIV Maggio, 1I‐21043 Castiglione Olona VA

pietro.parmeggiani@bilcare.com

Thank you