Liechtenstein’s updated passport series officially went into circulation on February 3, 2026. Bringing with it several modernisation steps designed to improve durability, usability, and document security.
In fact, at this year’s High Security Printing EMEA conference in Morocco, the new Liechtenstein passport was awarded “Best New Passport 2026.”
New Liechtenstein Passport Polycarbonate Data Page
The new series introduces updates that reflect current standards in passport production, including:
- Polycarbonate data page – replacing the previous paper‑cotton blend for increased durability and stronger resistance to tampering.
- Laser and inkjet personalisation – enabled by new printing infrastructure that supports detailed, high‑precision engraving and colour elements.
- Letter‑screen duplicate portrait – an additional portrait rendered on the first page using micro‑characters derived from the holder’s name and passport number.
- Updated data fields – replacing “Height” with Place of Birth to align with common international practices.
These changes collectively strengthen the document and reflect best practice in modern passport design. I would, however, like to focus on a simpler design change, a detail that, despite being the international norm, is often overlooked in an era dominated by high‑tech security feature upgrades, yet still makes life harder for counterfeiters: the move away from repeated visa‑page designs.
Even though this is a standard design choice today, it still carries clear, practical security benefits, and it’s worth highlighting, precisely because it shows how routine design decisions can have measurable impact on counterfeit prevention.
The new internal artwork is based on the design selected during Liechtenstein’s 2023 public competition, created by Anikó Stalder of kefi creations gmbh. Each page features a different motif linked to the country’s municipalities, landscape, or cultural elements.
The style remains clean and restrained — no overly complex compositions, no visually overwhelming graphics. It is a modern passport where the illustrations serve two purposes:
- reinforcing national identity
- supporting the integration of security within the design.
Why Removing Repetition Matters
From a document examiner’s point of view, repeated page backgrounds have long been one of the easiest elements for counterfeiters to exploit. Liechtenstein’s move to unique designs isn’t groundbreaking — but it is effective.
Counterfeiters tend to avoid documents that demand too much effort for too little reward. By increasing workload, even without any dramatic high-tech new features, the passport becomes a less attractive target. It’s security by strategic inconvenience, and it works!
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The visa pages in Liechtenstein’s new passport vary in design
When every page looks the same, counterfeiters need only:
- scan one page
- rebuild one template
- reproduce it repeatedly
With unique pages, the workload multiplies instantly. Each background requires its own reconstruction, its own colour calibration, and its own fine‑line replication.
More variation = more potential errors for counterfeiters
Unique page designs don’t just increase the amount of work required of counterfeiters; they also increase the likelihood of mistakes. When every page contains its own illustration, line structure, and background composition, recreating the booklet demands dozens of separate reconstructions. Each reconstruction introduces another opportunity for counterfeiters to make errors e.g. colour tone, line thickness, text/microprint, general alignment or covert Ultraviolet features.
Simple design variation becomes an additional detection layer, not by adding new security features, but by creating more opportunities for inconsistencies to appear.
A practical reminder: Not all improvements need to be high‑tech
Liechtenstein’s new passport demonstrates that even straightforward design decisions can strengthen a document’s defence against counterfeiting and manipulation. For examiners, unique pages provide more visual anchors and more chances to spot discrepancies. For counterfeiters, they introduce more work, more risk, and more opportunities for detectable errors. High‑tech features remain essential in the fight against document fraud, but sometimes a simple design change is enough to shift the balance.
Liechtenstein’s approach also reflects a wider international movement in passport design, where aesthetics and security increasingly work hand in hand.
Countries around the world are adopting more varied page artwork, integrated illustrations, and design‑driven security concepts that complement high‑tech features rather than compete with them. Modern design, particularly in the construction and layout of data pages, also plays a growing role in supporting automated document readers and digital onboarding processes. Taken together, these trends highlight a simple truth: modern passport security is as much about thoughtful design as it is about advanced technology.
Final notes about the new Liechtenstein passport
In addition to Liechtenstein’s regular passport, the special passports – diplomatic passport, service passport, passport for foreigners, and travel document for recognized refugees – have also been revised.
Previously issued Liechtenstein passports remain valid until their expiration date.
Sources/References:
Government of the Principality of Liechtenstein
Kefi-Creations
Phil is a Document Expert at Keesing Technologies with 21+ years in document authentication and fraud prevention. Former Operational fraud lead at the DVLA, he has trained UK Government, MOD, and Police officers from the UK, Italy, Spain, Nigeria and Kosovo. He has helped redesign documents and advance Forensic ID verification technologies. Awarded a Queens Honour for reducing UK transport fraud, Phil’s work has prevented millions in losses and enhanced global document security.
