Established in 1997, the RSTA is responsible for all vehicle registration and driver license issuance throughout Bhutan, as well as numerous other services for private and commercial motor vehicles.

“We needed a more efficient printing solution that did not compromise security, durability and image quality,” said Tshering Nidup, ICT Officer at RSTA. “Since the driver licenses are also used as citizen identification, it is critical for the ID card to be highly secure and resistant to cloning or counterfeiting.”

Bhutan previously experienced high rates of ID cloning since its licenses lacked the necessary security features to prevent tampering. Additionally, Bhutan has undergone significant economic development and modernisation that has led to an increase in new drivers, and the RSTA’s previous printing process was inefficient and created a backlog of printing requests. The RSTA was also dependent on a system that required different vendors for replacing cards, overlaminates and other printer consumables.

HID Global’s Fargo HDP5000 produces Bhutan driver’s licenses that are now resistant to wear, tear and tampering, offering greater security using its high definition printing (HDP) and reverse transfer capabilities. By printing a reverse image on the underside of HDP Film and fusing the film to the card surface, the HDP5000 creates an image that looks like a sharp glossy photo versus an ordinary ID badge to improve the quality and lifespan of the card image. Additionally, the new driver’s licenses feature 3-D backgrounds and hidden images, which have resulted in a decline of incidents involving counterfeit IDs according to local law enforcement.

“Ensuring citizens carry authentic identification is one of the most fundamental public security measures a country can have,” said Weijin Lee, Regional Director of Secure Issuance, Asia Pacific with HID Global. “HID Global’s world-class card personalisation solutions are designed to meet the need for secure, fraud-resistant IDs that help customers combat counterfeit identification cards, while also addressing the high-volume issuance requirements of RSTA and other government agencies around the world.”

The RSTA deployed 22 printers in total, five printers/encoders in their regional offices and 17 in their district offices across the country to streamline and improve its license issuance operations. Since the initial deployment, the RSTA has issued approximately 40,000 driver’s licenses contributing to reduced wait times for new or replacement driver licenses. Using HID Global’s printing solution allows the RSTA to now procure all printing consumables from one single source for a more streamlined resupplying process instead of relying on multiple vendors to produce driver’s licenses.