Belarus has announced that the launch of its new biometric ID cards and passports will be delayed until 2020 while the integration of information systems is completed, BelTA reports.

The date for introducing the new documents was pushed back from January 1, 2019 to allow time for database operated on different platforms to be interconnected, without which the biometric documents cannot be used as intended.

“We will receive the necessary equipment by the end of the year and in theory we could launch ID cards and biometric passports from the onset of the next year. However, we realize that it makes no sense yet, as it will be bare plastic,” says Pavel Khrishchenovich, Deputy Head of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Belarus.

The Ministry of Interior and Communications and Informatization Ministry have drafted a 15-page document to define the responsibilities for the remaining work, according to Khrishchenovich. Every citizenship and migration office is expected to receive biometric devices purchased from X-Infotech and Emperor Technology by 2020 to enable fingerprint and facial image capture, and the government will also open a data personalization center.

The new mandatory national ID card will replace all domestic identity documents, and will be issued at an estimated cost of Br24.5 (roughly US$11.50).

Article Topics

Belarus | biometric passport | biometrics | facial recognition | fingerprints | identity document