Armenians to receive new ID cards and biometric passports by 2026

Armenia has finally outlined the schedule for introducing new ID cards and biometric passports through a public-private partnership (PPP) after years of lacking investment in the country’s passport system.

The project is currently in the second stage of the initial tender, according to Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan. Private companies that have advanced through the first round will receive government proposals in September 2024. Final projects will be submitted by the year’s end while evaluation will commence in early 2025.

The tender winner will be announced in March next year while the system is expected to begin operation in March 2026, Business Media Georgia (BMG) reports. The contract between the tender winner and the Armenian Ministry of Interior will last 11 years.

Armenia’s contract with its previous biometric passport and ID card system supplier, Polish Security Printing Works (Polska Wytwornia Papierow Wartosciowych, PWPW) expired in 2017. The country is currently issuing biometric passports in cooperation with a local vendor.

Biometric passports and ID cards have been available for over 10 years but have faced a low uptake: Old non-biometric passports with limited fraud prevention still prevail among the population. Current ID cards also do not meet global security standards such as eIDAS, ETSI and ISO27001, which limits their cross-border interoperability.

Last year, the country decided to introduce a new system to further its digital transformation. According to the tender, one of the key objectives will be advancing online services such as automated border crossing and identity verification for voting.

Armenia plans to bring the number of enrolment facilities for submitting biometric data and receiving travel and ID documents to 126 this year. Another 15 are planned over the next 10 years.

Article Topics

Armenia  |  biometric passport  |  government purchasing  |  identity document  |  identity management  |  public-private partnerships  |  tender