Kuwait prepares to halt services for unregistered fingerprint biometrics

Those in Kuwait failing to meet the deadlines for biometric registration will face suspension of government services. The Central Bank of Kuwait is also planning to implement phased restrictions on the bank accounts of individuals who do not comply with the biometric registration requirements.

The deadline for biometric registration for citizens is September 30, while for expatriates, it is December 30. Approximately 175,000 citizens and 800,000 expats still need to complete the procedure. Around 2.6 million people have undergone the fingerprinting process, including 1.86 million expatriates and 800,000 Kuwaiti citizens, according to the Arab Times.

The Central Bank of Kuwait has directed banks to implement restrictions in four stages; an alert phase, suspension of electronic channels, suspension of bank cards, and full account freeze.

Customers who fail to meet the fingerprinting deadline will have all electronic banking channels disabled by September 30. All bank cards will be blocked by October 31, and a full account freeze will be enforced by December 1, Times Kuwait reports.

These restrictions will not only apply to bank account balances but will also extend to other financial assets such as shares, funds, investment portfolios, and other assets. Despite this, banks will continue to deduct installments for loans and mortgages.

Travel rights will not be affected, the Arab Times reports separately, but illegal residents crossing the border will be required to submit fingerprint registration.

The government provides home biometric services for elderly and ill individuals who are unable to travel to designated centers. Brigadier Nayef Al-Mutairi, director of the Personality Investigation and Automated Search Department at the General Department of Criminal Evidence, stated to Arab Times that nearly 1,000 cases of such individuals have been processed.

Biometric fingerprinting is carried out at border outlets, Kuwait International Airport, and specialized centers at security premises nationwide.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  fingerprint recognition  |  government services  |  Kuwait  |  national ID