Passport application procedures have been streamlined in Japan to strengthen measures against counterfeiting and forgeries.

According to the Foreign Ministry, enhanced security features are being implemented based on recommendations from the International Civil Aviation Organization. Passports issued for applications submitted from Monday onward will feature a new design. Current passports will remain valid until they expire.

In the new passport, the previously separate photo page and IC chip page will be combined into a single plastic page. Personal information, including the photo and name, will be printed using laser technology based on banknote printing techniques, making forgery more difficult.

According to the ministry, the passport will include three pictures and a special printing technique will allow the date of birth on one of the pictures to show up when the passport is viewed at a certain angle.

The National Printing Bureau will now be responsible for passport production. Previously, passports were created and issued at prefectural passport offices.

Individuals can also now apply online, meaning they will need to visit the passport office counter only once — when they pick up the passport.

But the ministry urges those who plan to travel abroad to apply for passports as early as possible as the process takes about two weeks when applying domestically and between two weeks to one month when applying from overseas.

The online application process is also more streamlined as family registry documents no longer need to be submitted in physical form. Applicants using their My Number card can consent to automatic data linkage through the government’s Myna Portal application.

This allows the passport system to digitally retrieve the necessary family registry information, eliminating both the paperwork and the fee associated with obtaining a family registry certificate.

Application fees are lower for online submissions compared to in-person applications. A 10-year passport costs ¥15,900 ($106) online and ¥16,300 in person while a five-year passport costs ¥10,900 online and ¥11,300 in person. The ministry encourages people to take advantage of the new online system, citing both cost savings and convenience.

“The changes will allow the Japanese people to use their passports with a greater peace of mind,” Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said in mid-December last year during a news conference.