The National Immigration Agency formally launched the Edison TD online passport and travel document verification system at eight international airports and 16 seaports around Taiwan Nov. 29.
Hsieh Li-kung, director-general of the NIA, said implementation of the new system represents a major step forward in efforts to combat human trafficking by allowing immigration officers to more easily identify fake travel documents.
The system, developed by the Dutch National Police Agency in cooperation with authorities in Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, contains information on more than 2,800 types of travel documents and anti-forgery data from over 200 countries.
More than 50 nations around the globe have already adopted the Edison TD system. The NIA obtained the right to use the new system at a cost of 6,000 euros (US$4,615) for a two-year period. (SB)