Bahrain to issue new passports

Manama: Bahrain will this year issue new passports that will have greater security features, the assistant undersecretary for nationality, passports and residency has said.

The new techniques and characteristics will help foil possible attempts to forge the travel document to be issued in the first quarter of the year, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa said.

Passports issued to Bahrainis older than 21 years will be valid for ten years, whereas those delivered to citizens under 21 will have a validity of five years.

The switch to the new ones is expected to take some years until the end of the validity of the old passports.

Bahrain started issuing passports in 1929.