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 of the person, image of the face and
fingerprints hands) 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.