WASHINGTON, April 3: The United States, seeking to improve security after the Sept. 11 attacks, will make its passports harder to forge by switching to digital photos and introducing other, secret enhancements, the State Department said on Tuesday.

State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said the new passports would be issued from Monday.

All passports issued issued overseas would have to be processed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, instead of being issued on the spot, because the technology was not available at embassies and consulates.

“American citizens who require issuance of a U.S. passport while residing or traveling abroad will be issued the latest state-of-the-art passport incorporating a digitized image with other enhanced security features,” Reeker told a news briefing.

Reeker unveiled a likeness of the new document, but declined to say what the new features were apart from the image embedded in the paper, an effect he said was achieved with “a certain amount of computer processing.”

“Getting these more secure passports into circulation will help minimize the misuse of American passports by criminals, terrorists and others,” he said.

Immigration authorities are under pressure to tighten procedures following the attacks by suicide hijackers who slammed planes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, killing about 3,000 people.

Many of the 19 men were on temporary visas, not U.S. passports, but their ability to hijack planes from U.S. airports underlined shortcomings in U.S. entry controls.

The United States has since tightened visa procedures, saying most of the men got their papers from U.S. missions in Saudi Arabia.

Several Saudi names appeared on a list of suspects, though it is unclear if they used their real names.

Reeker said the new system meant the processing time would be extended to about a week for people abroad, though temporary papers would still be issued for emergency travel that could be turned in for a digitized version.

The move does not affect valid passports though they can be swapped for a fee for the new version, Reeker said.

“I think we’re all aware that since Sept. 11, the security of travel documents has become even more important,” he said.

“The new passport ... has many features that make it one of the most secure travel documents produced anywhere in the world,” he added.—Reuters