The Passport, Immigration & Citizenship Agency (PICA) will start issuing new high-security E-passports to the public as of March 31.
An E-passport is an electronic machine-readable passport with an embedded microchip that stores a digital version of the holder's biographical data.
The chip has a unique digital signature specific to each issuing country.
In a media release on Friday, PICA said the E-passport is a robust biometric document with added layers of security that can aid in the fight against new and emerging threats to identity theft and national security."
It explained that its decision to issue the document is aimed at facilitating greater confidence and acceptance of the Jamaican passport for travel facilitation globally.
The introduction of the E-passports in Jamaica will see the nation joining more than 150 countries doing so, including 11 CARICOM states.
PICA stated that passports that have been previously issued are still valid until the expiration date and there is no need to change them.
It also confirmed that there will be no increase in fees as a result of the introduction of the new passports.
