Ukraine examining new biometric ID law

A bill that provides for the introduction of biometric identification has passed first reading in Ukraine’s parliament.

The draft law provides for the creation of a unified state demographic register, which will contain basic personal information on each citizen. Additionally, the draft stipulates issuing the documents for traveling abroad that have a built-in proximity chip with registry information on the holder.

The new document standard is designed to help eliminate ID fraud and thus increase border security. The registry may become accessible to all the relevant European services and institutions, improving the time and cost efficiency of their work, including the shortened border control procedure.

The bill has been introduced to assist Ukraine harmonize its travel and visa policies with a travel document liberalization policy it adopted in 2010. The liberalization policy stipulates that the government of Ukraine has to carry out a set of reforms regarding document security, illegal migration, internal security, external relations, and fundamental rights.

The move will also assist the European Union control illegal immigration.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  border control  |  fraud  |  government  |  identification  |  immigration control  |  national ID  |  national security  |  privacy