Russian Federation Selects Axalto for Electronic Passport Pilot Program

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Axalto, an international provider of microprocessor cards, has been selected by Goznak - the national printing agency of the Russian Federation and the largest passport producer in the world - to participate in the pilot phase of the national electronic passport program.

The government of the Russian Federation plans to first deliver electronic passports to its citizens traveling abroad. There are approximately 10 million international passports in circulation in Russia, delivered to international travelers. In addition the Russian government intends, in a second phase, to replace the current domestic passport by an electronic passport that will be delivered to all Russian citizens. In the Russian Federation, the domestic passport is used as the citizens' identity document. There are an estimated 150 million domestic passports in circulation in Russia.