GPO Awards Contract for U.S. Passport Covers

WASHINGTON —The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has awarded a contract for security features, including the chip, software, and packaging, in the U.S. passport. The contract has been awarded to Infineon Technologies Americas Corporation and Thales DIS USA, Inc. and allows for the companies to supply these security solutions for up to ten years. GPO manufactures the U.S. passport—including many of its components—for the Department of State, who then personalizes the book for American travelers, Government officials, and diplomats.

“The U.S. passport is one of the most important documents GPO produces,” said GPO Director Hugh Nathanial Halpern. “We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with the Department of State and are committed to delivering a first-rate product and customer experience. Awarding these contracts will allow us to continue producing the world’s most advanced and secure passport.”

GPO has produced the U.S. passport for the Department of State since 1926. GPO began using electronic security features in the U.S. Passport in 2005 and currently produces the Next Generation Passport, which incorporates important new features that make the book difficult to compromise. The Department of State issued a record number of 22 million passports in FY 2022 and is on track to break that number in FY 2023.

GPO is the Federal Government’s resource for publishing trusted information for the Federal Government to the American people. The GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State as well as the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies in digital and print formats. GPO provides for permanent public access to Federal Government information at no charge through www.govinfo.gov and partnerships with approximately 1,100 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. For more information, please visit www.gpo.gov. ###

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