Kuwait nears 2.5M biometric registrations, less than 30% remaining

The Ministry of Interior has announced a milestone in its biometric fingerprinting project, with nearly two and a half million Kuwaiti citizens and expats already processed since the initiative began, Arab Times reports.

Citizens and expats were initially given three months to complete the process, with non-compliance leading to the suspension of all transactions with the Ministry of Interior.

So far, the campaign has fingerprinted 2,487,932 individuals. Despite the progress and the initial three-month deadline, 22 percent of Kuwaiti citizens and 28.5 percent of expatriates have yet to undergo fingerprinting.

The Ministry of Interior extended the deadline until September 30 for Kuwaitis and December 30 for expatriates. After these deadlines, any transactions for those who have not completed the fingerprinting will be halted, with exceptions made for the elderly and individuals with special needs who can present official documentation. These exceptions will remain in place until mobile devices become available to facilitate their fingerprinting.

To accommodate the elderly and individuals with special needs, the Ministry plans to engage a company to provide mobile devices for fingerprinting. These devices will allow fingerprinting to be conducted at the residences or hospitals of these individuals, using disability certificates or birth certificates as identification.

In March 2024, it was revealed that the country also intends to share biometric data as part of a regional security network. The goal of the initiative is to tackle the challenges related to dual nationality and improve security measures in the country.

In 2023, it was reported that more than one million people submitted their fingerprint biometrics as the government set up enrollment centers at shopping malls and airports for those who are yet to have their fingerprints captured.

Article Topics

biometric database  |  biometric enrollment  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  Kuwait