This year "Garsų pasaulis" is also planning additional investment of 50 million litas into the embossing printing machine of the highest security level, which will print some of the passport pages. The remaining pages will be printed and supplied to Lithuania by the partners of "Garsų pasaulis", the Polish company "Polska Wytwornia Papierow Wartosciovych". Last year in cooperation with this Polish company "Garsų pasaulis", after forming the consortium, won the production tender for the production of the EU passports for Lithuania.

After the tender the consortium of Polish and Lithuanian companies prepared for the production of passports in a couple of months, while normally this preparation period takes one year or even longer.

Passports will be produced for the export

According to the Director General of "Garsų pasaulis" Vytautas Vainikonis, under the agreements of the consortium the transfer of the production of Lithuanian passport to Lithuania will ensure smooth process of passport issuance and create employment, and the funds invested into the highest security technologies will enable the production of passports for export to other states.

Currently the negotiations of the company with several countries regarding the production of biometric passports are under way.

"If we produced passports only for Lithuania the investments made would not buy off. The acquired new technologies, high production capacity and long-term experience of our experts will enable the production of passport for export. And we are not talking about the export of the cheap workforce. We are talking about the export of knowledge, i.e. the production and sales of high-value product to the foreign markets", notes V.Vainikonis.

The current capacities of the printing house for the production of passport will be greater than required in Lithuania. During the first year "Garsų pasaulis" will produce 300 thousand of Lithuanian passports. Afterwards the demand for Lithuanian passports will amount to 200 thousand a year. Whereas the production capacity of "Garsų pasaulis" production line is up to 10 million passports per year.

The company is not a beginner in the foreign markets

"Garsų pasaulis"is not a beginner in the export markets. Currently the company serves its customers in the territory from Europe up to Asia and Africa. The company provides services to more than 15 countries.

"Garsų pasaulis" produces tobacco and alcohol tax stamps, medicine prescription books, postage stamps and other products to the foreign states.

"We have the international security printing certificates which conform with the highest requirements and extensive work experience. And this is valued not only by Lithuanian companie. More and more foreign states are using our services", said V.Vainikonis.

"Garsų pasaulis" printing house provides various services, however the largest share of the income is obtained from the security printing, i.e. printing of various documents with the protection from the forgery.

The company is also engaged in the production of packaging, promotional material and label production and provides repro services. Lithuanian government institutions, banks, country's largest breweries, insurance and advertising companies and other companies are among the customers of "Garsų pasaulis".

In 2007 the income of "Garsų pasaulio" from the main activity amounted to 58.1 million litas, and comparing to 2006, increased by 29.2 percent.

Lithuanian passports are among the most secure

Like all EU passports Lithuanian passports of the European standard are wine-coloured. The passport of the new standard contains national and ethnic information of Lithuania. The passport has 32 numbered pages and the identification data sheet made of polycarbonate, where identification data, image of the face and signature are engraved with the laser device.

"Additional modern technologies are introduced in the new passport which protect the document from forgery, accelerate the verification process and conform to all global security requirements. I can ensure you that from the security viewpoint today the new passport is probably the best ", stated V.Vainikonis.

Non-contact electronic medium is integrated in the passport data sheet where the identification data and the image of the person's face are recorded. There are more than 30 measures installed in the electronic medium which ensure the integrity, authenticity and confidentiality of the digital information stored.

The cost of such passport to every citizen of Lithuania is 100 Lt. As the representatives of "Garsų pasaulis" remark, the price of Lithuanian passports does not exceed the price which is paid by other EU citizens. The residents of other EU countries pay 30 euros for one passport on average.