How new security features embedded into passports are making life harder for Mr Bond

Last updated: 14 November 2019

At the end of last year, the long awaited news of the name and cast of the next James Bond film was announced. Due to be released in Autumn 2015, Spectre promises to be another epic ride, jam-packed with the latest cars and technology.  But unfortunately for Mr Bond and his trusty tech expert, Q, things have changed dramatically since Skyfall…

Thanks to a new type of material we’ve developed, Sealys Secure Surface, it will be significantly harder to mask Bond’s true  identity with fake passports to jet around the globe, like he did as “Alex Smith” in Die Another Day.

The material, which sits over the identity card or passport as an extra see-through layer, strengthens protection against fraudulent documents by combining three different effects: light reflection, movement and tactile elements.

To explain the three elements in more detail:

1. Sealys Lens Surface is the next generation CLI/MLI (changeable or multiple laser image), which can be incorporated into the document. It is an easy-to-check, visible security feature, and is trusted by border control authorities where several pieces of information (usually 2) such as a portrait, a logo, a symbol or a number can be seen depending on the viewing angle. With our latest
   enhancements, it is now possible to have complex shapes and combinations of elements inside the CLI/MLI, making it extremely challenging to for even the best forgers Mr Bond knows to reproduce.
2. Sealys Optically Variable Surface provides brand-new optical elements with light reflective and animation effects, revealed by tilting a document in different angles.
3. Sealys 3D Surface offers perceptible features for a polycarbonate document, such as surface embossing or braille. Both positive and negative embossing can be created on the same surface. Combining this embossing with complex designs increases security even further.

The 3 features can elegantly be combined together and keep organizations one step ahead in the fight against fraud. Technology so advanced, that even Q would struggle to get past it… sorry James!