The government on Thursday adopted amendments to the act on passports, making it mandatory for passports to contain biometric features.
Biometric face recognition will be mandatory as of 28 August 2006, while finger print identification is to be introduced 36 months after the confirmation of the relevant technical specifications.
However, all the passports remain valid until expiry, Bojan Trnovsek of the Interior Ministry told a press conference. The passports have to be upgraded with biometric protection in line with the EU regulation on passport standards valid since 18 January 2005.
According to the present legislation, a child under four gets a passport for two years, while from now on he would get it for three years until the age of three, and for five years until the age of 18, Trnovsek said.
The amendments also envisage an abolishment of territorial jurisdiction, meaning that people would be able to get the passport or report it lost at any administrative unit in the country. However, this is to become valid only after the computer system is upgraded to higher safety standards.
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