Holograms on ID Documents – Where Next?

Holography, and other optical security devices, have become a mainstay of document design when it comes to protecting the photo and personally identifiable information on ID cards, passports, visa stickers and other documents for authenticating a person. They serve as a combination of security and anti-counterfeiting measures, as well as a visually appealing and durable element to enhance document authenticity and protection.

In this article, we review the history and evolution of the technology up to the present day and ask what’s next for holograms on ID cards?

Early adoption

The first commercial use of holographic imagery on an identity document is most likely to have been the California driving licence in the early 1990s – a few years after the first hologram appeared on a banknote in circulation (the Austrian 500 schilling). At that time, holograms played, and to a large extent still play, a very different role on ID documents compared to banknotes.