Ukraine moves to biometric passports

Biometric passports are becoming increasingly common in the world. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), more than 90 countries of the 193 UN members currently issue such documents with more than twenty countries ready for implementation in the coming years. Read more concerning Ukraine.

The introduction of the biometric documents

It is assumed that the biometric documents are the most protected against forgery and exclude the possibility of their use by any person except the owner. According to the Law of Ukraine «On the Single State Register of demographic and documents that confirm the citizenship of Ukraine, identity or its special status» № 5492-VI dated 20.11.2012 there was started a work on the introduction of registration and issuance of passports and passport of citizen of Ukraine for departure abroad containing contactless electronic medium of the biometric data the owner of document.

According to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated March 25, 2015 № 302 «On Approval sample form, technical descriptions and procedures for obtaining, issuance, exchange, forwarding, removal, return to the state, annihilation of the passport of citizen of Ukraine», registration and issuance of a passport of citizen of Ukraine with contactless electronic carrier in the form of a plastic card was introduced on January 1, 2016.

Thus, according to the Law, biometric data is a set of personal data, collected on the basis of fixation their characteristics with sufficient stability and significantly different from those for other persons (biometric parameters: digitized signature, image of the face and fingerprints hands of the person) contained on contactless electronic media, which allows range of activities related to the identification of the person.

Biometric passports are produced in the form of booklets, in which the implanted contactless integrated circuit card or in the form of polymeric materials, which are subject to the physical characteristics of laser engraving and personalization according to the state (national) and international standards, and should contain a contactless electronic storage medium and number form.

The contactless electronic storage medium brings the information from the date page of the document, biometric date and parameters of the person and also the date as for information security that placed on the contactless electronic storage medium according to ІСАО documents.

Innovation in the registration of passport of citizen of Ukraine

Biometric passport with the citizenship of Ukraine is made in the form of a card containing the contactless electronic storage medium. However, persons, who refuse from receiving the biometric passport with electronic storage medium because of their religious beliefs, can get the passport without it.

According to the written requests of the applicants or their parents (adoptive parents), guardians or other representatives, if the person has not reached the age of sixteen, additional changeable date that is contained in The Single State Register of demographic can be included to the passport of the citizen of Ukraine.

The issue of the passport is made by territorial units of The State Migration Service of Ukraine in conjunction with The Head Computing Center of The Single State Register of demographic and The State Center of Document Personalization.

The biometric passport for traveling abroad

The biometric passport of the citizen of Ukraine for traveling abroad is made in the form of a booklet, where the right bookend contains contactless electronic storage medium. However, the citizen of Ukraine who has refused from the contactless electronic storage medium because of the religious believes, has the right to get the passport for travelling abroad without it.

Passport for traveling abroad is issued to persons who have not reached the age of sixteen and valid for four years, and persons who have reached the age of sixteen – for 10 years.

Registration, issuance and exchange of passports for traveling abroad are made by the territorial authorities and units of The State Migration Service of Ukraine regardless of the residence and abroad – by foreign diplomatic institutions of Ukraine.

The need to change passport in the old form for biometric one

Also it needs to notice that there are no obligations to change the passport in the old form for biometric one. According to the valid legislation the passport of the citizen of Ukraine that is issued by the units of The State Migration Service has unlimited duration, that is why ever after the introduction of the passports of new model, these passport will remain valid. The change of them for biometric is the right, but not a duty of every citizen of Ukraine.

The passport of the citizen of Ukraine for travelling abroad is valid for 10 years (the final date of the validity is pointed in the passport) and even after the introduction of the new form documents, this passport is valid until the pointed date. The citizens are free to cross the state border with the passport, get visas and so on. At the same time, if the citizen has the desire, he can change the passport to new form applying to the units of The State Migration Service of Ukraine.

Moreover, during the registration of a new passport the citizen has the right to refuse from the contactless electronic carries and to get the passport without the electronic chip.