The office of the refugee commissioner has revamped the protection certificate it issues to those refugees seeking local and international protection.

Since it was set up in 2002, the office has received more than 18,000 applications for international protection. Some 3,000 such certificates are issued every year.

The new certificate is in the form of a card and includes a digital signature and all valuable information, including protection title and photo. The introduction of this system has made it less likely for the protection certificate to be tampered with. Before this system was in place, the Office would issue an A4 laminated certificate, printed on security paper with a dry rubber stamp.

The new certificate is less likely to be tampered with

The smaller size of the card has also made it possible for the applicant to carry the identification document at all times.

Those who benefit from local protection have to renew the certificate every year, while those benefiting from refugee and subsidiary protection have to renew it every three years. Through the project, co-funded by the EU, the office has also set up an electronic database which allows for more secure and uniform processing of applicants’ information.

The protection project, under the European Refugee Fund Annual Programme 2013, started on January 1, 2013, and ended in June 2015.

It cost €132,401.42, with 75 per cent of the funding provided by the EU.