Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk (1991-1994) has said that he would like to be one of the first to get a passport with biometric data.
“Of course… I would be happy to get the first biometric passport,”
he said at a press conference on Friday, when asked if he would like to
be one of the first to replace his passport with a new passport with
biometric data.
Kravchuk said that if Ukraine really seeks integration with the EU,
then it is proper that Ukrainian citizens have biometric passports, as
required by the rules of the European community.
“We have to do it, otherwise we’ll stay at home,” Kravchuk said.
As reported, on November 29, 2012, Ukrainian President Viktor
Yanukovych signed law No. 5492-VI on the unified state demographic
register and identity documents, which envisages the introduction of
electronic passports for Ukrainians.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed the law on November 20, taking into account proposals made by the president.
This law lays down the procedure of issuance of a large number of
documents that will be used on the territory of Ukraine. According to
the law, these documents are issued on the basis of the unified state
demographic register, which certifies one’s identity, along with
driver’s licenses, a certificate of a stateless person, a permanent
residence certificate, a temporary residence certificate, a migrant’s
card, and a refugee certificate.
The document foresees the introduction of electronic passports
containing electronic chips with biometric information for traveling
abroad, according to standards of the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO).
According to the law, the passports of Ukrainian citizens will be
produced in the form of cards with contactless smart chips and issued no
later than 30 calendar days from the date of the submission of a
relevant application. The electronic passports will include the name of
the state, the name of the document, the full name of the holder, the
holder’s gender, citizenship, date of birth, and a unique number in the
register, the number of the document, the date of the document’s expiry,
the date of issue of the document, the name of the agency that issued
the document, the place of birth, a photo and the signature of the
holder.
Information about parents or trustee of the holder may be included to the document upon a relevant written request.
At the president’s request, a new provision has been included in the
law that says that people who refuse to enter their personal information
in an electronic chip due to their religious beliefs have the right to
refuse to use this document or the inserting of such information into
the chip.
To realize this right, they need to submit an application to the
relevant central executive authority stating their refusal to receive
the document containing a chip or from entering their personal data into
this chip.
The president also suggested that the payment for the issuance of
such documents should be covered from the revenues of the general fund
of the budget.
