Latvians select Giesecke & Devrient for new ePassports
Munich-based company has a long relationship with this emerging Baltic state; 1.1 ePassports to be produced; Austria and Macedonia also use G&D technology; roll-out scheduled for late 2007
More ePassport news. Munich, Germany-based Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) has been awarded a contract by the Latvian government to produce 1.1 million electronic ePassports over the next five years. Under the agreement, G&D will also supply all the necessary systems for data capture and processing, personalization, and issuing of the documents. The deal makes the Republic of Latvia the THIRD country to choose G&D as prime contractor for issuing electronic passports. (The ePassports of both Austria and Macedonia also emply G&D’s smart card technology.) In the case of Latvia, the agreement was almost a no-brainer: Since 1991, G&D has been supplying the Baltic state with travel documents and — in conjunction with the Bank of Latvia
