Security Feature
Definition
Engineered element of a document (watermark, security thread, microprinting, intaglio, optically variable ink, latent image, fluorescent fibres) that frustrates forgery and supports authentication.
- Examples
- Watermark, security thread, microprinting, intaglio, OVI, latent image
- Purpose
- Frustrate forgery and support authentication
- Applies to
- Currency, passports, certificates and other value documents
Common questions
Why do examiners look for multiple security features rather than just one?+
A single feature can sometimes be crudely simulated, but reproducing several independent features to the same tolerance, such as a genuine watermark alongside correct intaglio relief, is far harder for a forger to achieve together.
Can a genuine security feature still appear on a forged document?+
Yes, forgers sometimes reuse genuine substrate or salvage a real feature from another document, which is why examination looks at the consistency of features with each other, not just their individual presence.
Related terms
- Document
- Any matter expressed or described upon any substance by means of letters, figures or marks intended to be used for the purpose...
- Electronic Record
- Data generated, sent, received, or stored by electronic means, including emails, call data records, server logs, database entries, CCTV footage, and documents...
- Negotiable Instrument
- Defined under the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 Section 13. Promissory note, bill of exchange or cheque payable to order or bearer.
- Private Document
- Defined under BSA 2023 Section 75. All documents other than public documents (personal letters, agreements, diaries, cheques in the hands of a...
- Public Document
- Defined under BSA 2023 Section 74. Records of sovereign authority, official bodies and public officers of India or a foreign country; public...
- Questioned Document (QD)
- Any document whose authenticity, source, age, sequence of preparation or content is in dispute and requires examination by a forensic expert.
- Standard or Exemplar
- A document of known origin used for comparison with a questioned document. May be requested (taken under controlled conditions) or collected (from...
- Watermark
- A pattern formed in paper during manufacture by localised fibre-density variation on the Fourdrinier wire; visible in transmitted light as a lighter...