Israel begins pilot for online biometric passport renewals on specific conditions

Holders of Israeli biometric passports who want to renew them can henceforth do so online, but not every passport user is eligible and no biographical information such as the applicant’s name can be changed.

According to The Times of Israel, the online application can only be lodged from within the country and applicants will have to submit a facial photo which matches the one already held in the database. Holders of biometric national ID cards can also initiate the renewal process which concerns only applicants of between 21 and 60 years of age.

Authorities say passports renewed online will have a validity of five years and not the usual ten, and the process will be possible only for passports which expired six months before the application, or those to expire within a year from then.

The new passport application process is expected to expedite service delivery and reduce turnaround time, with Interior Minister Moshe Arbel describing the novelty as a move that will ameliorate the access to that service especially as the number of applications for the travel credential keeps increasing.

As part of the innovation, biometric ID cards can also be applied for online by people whose biometric data already exists in the identity management system.

These are part of reforms undertaken by the Interior Ministry and reflected in a legislative amendment as part of a broader government plan to improve and streamline the way government services are delivered to citizens.

Article Topics

biometric passport  |  biometrics  |  digital government  |  identity document  |  Israel