Bill on electronic register approved, paving way for electronic passports

The Ukrainian parliament at a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 6. approved at first reading a law on the single state demographic register, which envisages the introduction of electronic passports for Ukrainians.

Under the bill (No. 10492), the single state demographic register is an electronic information and telecommunications system designed for the storage, handling and use of information about the identity and documents of the register.

"The project is proposed to regulate, as part of a single law, the question of the creation and functioning of the single state demographic register and the mechanism for the registration, issuing, exchange, extension of the period of validity, withdrawal, return to the state and the destruction of documents that certify a person, and confirm his or her citizenship or special status," reads a statement posted on the Web site of the Verkhovna Rada.

The bill proposes establishing that the register is a single functional system consisting of the main and reserve data centers.

The bill proposes establishing that the register contains the following information about a person: name and surname, date of birth/death, place of birth, sex, date of the submission of information about a person in the register, data about parents (adoptive parents), guardians, and other representatives, data about citizenship or its absence, as well as details of all documents issued to the person, a sample of signature, and a photo.