Design of new Hong Kong smart identity card revealed

Next-generation card features enhanced security, built-in RFID technology and higher-resolution photo to support facial recognition

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The cardholder’s photo appears on the left, while a stereo laser image of the same picture appears on the left. Photo: Handout

Published: 1:05pm, 29 Nov 2017Updated: 11:27pm, 29 Nov 2017

After a three-year wait, the design of the much-anticipated new Hong Kong smart identity card was revealed on Wednesday, boasting security features to prevent counterfeiting and eliciting praise from local residents.

According to the latest Legislative Council papers submitted by the Security Bureau, the new smart ID card is pink, light blue and light green in colour, with a photo of the holder on the left and a smallstereo laser image of the portrait on the right.

It will feature a new see-through window bearing the card number in the top right-hand corner. An image of the Hong Kong skyline will appear when the back of the card is examined under UV light.

The papers read: “The Immigration Department will take the opportunity to introduce a number of new state-of-the-art security features … to ensure strong protection against photo substitution and counterfeiting.”

Some of the new features of the new card. Image: Handout

The card will come with a hologram with wave and 3D effects and a multiple-pattern background. Other security features intended to make the card hard to fake include rainbow printing, microprinted text and ink with optically variable properties.