While all data included in the travel documents will remain the same, there will be many new security elements to go along with the designs inspired by Estonian nature. In addition, the material of the personal data page will now be made from polycarbonate, which is also used for ID cards.

Some of the security elements will be visible to the naked eye, some will be tactile to fingers, but some of them will only be visible in special lighting or when magnified.

"There are more elements than the eye catches at first. Many of them are actually visible, but you can just miss them. Some elements are also ones that you would not guess are security elements," explained Eliisa Sau, chief expert of the PPA's identity and status bureau.

"For example, the background of all inside pages is of one tone, but if you look at it carefully, you will notice that there are larger elements braided into the background. They are very visible but you might not notice them at first," Sau said.

The new passports carry designs of Estonian nature and animals. Sau told ETV's daily affairs show "Ringvaade" that the desire to incorporate Estonian nature came right at the beginning of the design process.

"It is one of the tools to introduce Estonia as all these animals live in our forests," Sau said and added that there is much to discover in the new passport.

A person aaplying for a new passport today will already receive the redesigned passport at the start of next year. Older passports will still be valid until their expiration date.

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