Türkiye plans to issue biometric IDs to refugees with protected status

The government of Türkiye says there is a plan in the pipeline to issues ID cards embedded with biometric chips to people with international protected status in the country.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya dropped the hint recently in an interview with Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah.

Türkiye is host to four million persons identified as refugees and aliens, three-quarters of who are Syrians fleeing persecution and insecurity in their country. At least one million of them have been issued residence permits while about 224,000 others enjoy the international temporary protection status.

In the interview, the government official addressed several questions related to the country’s border management policy and its efforts to fight against irregular migration using its route.

According to Yerlikaya, the move to issue biometric IDs to those with protected status is to fight against ills such as identity theft and fraud. He noted that in addition to this, is another plan to introduce the collection of fingerprints biometrics at ports of entry from all foreigners entering the country.

He explained that in the past years, the country has taken a raft of measures, including building a long wall and installing surveillance Cameras to strengthen its border security architecture. Other actions, he said, include the deployment of mobile control units to check the identity of people crossing the borders. Yerlikaya said while $930 million has been spent on border security in the past years, the government plans to spend a further $136 million this year.

The Interior Minister, meanwhile, also called on Syrians who are registered with authorities in Türkiye to update their identification information in order to maintain their eligibility for government social intervention services. The minister said this doesn’t involve access to health and educational services. He remarked that they were giving the refugees one last chance given that not all of them responded to previous calls to have their information updated.

In the meantime, Türkiye, in April, introduced digital monad visas for remote workers who have the intention of living in the country.

Daily Sabah reported that the visa scheme is meant for remote workers from 37 countries specifically in Europe, plus Canada and the United States.

Once the request is done via the GoTürkiye platform, a Digital Nomad Identification Document is issued with which the applicant can then obtain the visa from any Turkish consular office. The collection of biometrics is among the requirements for the digital nomad visa.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  border security  |  digital ID  |  refugee registration  |  Turkiye