Birth certificates made with polymer offer enhanced security features

11-Mar-15

Ontario province in Canada is introducing new birth certificates made with a polymer material and security features that officials say will make them more durable and harder to counterfeit. The cost of the polymer birth certificates, available from April 15, will be the same as the current paper ones. The polymer birth certificates have a variety of embedded security features, including raised print, transparent windows and colour-shifting images. They are also more durable and should last for a person’s lifetime with normal use. The intricate pattern of maple leaves is surrounded by a gold border, which when tilted, makes colours shift from green to purple. Colours on the front of the certificate gradually shift from blue to peach, and When held up to light, Canada geese appear in the lower portion and the word "Canada" repeats in a ribbon pattern from the top to bottom. Several other features have been incorporated in the design to enhance security and anti counterfeiting.