Taiwan Is Recalling 200,000 Passports After Accidentally Featuring a Photo of Dulles Airport
Taiwan is recalling passports that mistakenly featured an image of Washington-Dulles Airport — instead of Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport.
The misprinted passport began distribution last week, and the error was pointed out on the social media network Weibo on Monday. By Tuesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the mistake and recalled the 285 passports that had already been issued to Taiwanese citizens.
Related: What Your Passport Color Really Means
In total, 200,000 copies of the passport book had already been printed — all of which the Taiwanese government will destroy.
The ministry apologized for the misprint, saying that one of the passport’s designers had mistakenly chosen the wrong airport image. In the designer’s defense, the architects behind Taoyuan Airport’s Terminal One were reportedly inspired by Eero Saarinen’s design for Dulles Airport.
The ministry will reprint 200,000 passports with a new design. The Central News Agency reported that the new documents should be ready by the end of January 2018; applicants waiting for passports in the meantime will receive first-generation e-passports, which the Ministry still has in stock.
Related: This Passport Is So Rare, Only 500 People on Earth Have It
MOFA had issued a reprint of the e-passports for increased security measures. The new passports included a third image of the passport holder, a metallic surface relief and background images of “landmarks and cultural customs, all symbolic of a dynamic Taiwan,” according to the ministry.
Taiwan is recalling passports that mistakenly featured an image of Washington-Dulles Airport — instead of Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport.
The misprinted passport began distribution last week, and the error was pointed out on the social media network Weibo on Monday. By Tuesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the mistake and recalled the 285 passports that had already been issued to Taiwanese citizens.
Related: What Your Passport Color Really Means
In total, 200,000 copies of the passport book had already been printed — all of which the Taiwanese government will destroy.
The ministry apologized for the misprint, saying that one of the passport’s designers had mistakenly chosen the wrong airport image. In the designer’s defense, the architects behind Taoyuan Airport’s Terminal One were reportedly inspired by Eero Saarinen’s design for Dulles Airport.
The ministry will reprint 200,000 passports with a new design. The Central News Agency reported that the new documents should be ready by the end of January 2018; applicants waiting for passports in the meantime will receive first-generation e-passports, which the Ministry still has in stock.
Related: This Passport Is So Rare, Only 500 People on Earth Have It
MOFA had issued a reprint of the e-passports for increased security measures. The new passports included a third image of the passport holder, a metallic surface relief and background images of “landmarks and cultural customs, all symbolic of a dynamic Taiwan,” according to the ministry.
