Armenia provides update on biometric passport, ID card tender

Armenia is moving ahead with its plans to provide its citizens with new biometric passports and identification cards by 2026. Last week, the country announced that three participants had passed the first round of the tender competition and approved the procedure for the second stage of the tender.

Among the three qualified bidders, one is competing individually while two have formed a consortium. The government is planning to complete the project as a public-private partnership and has spent the last five months negotiating with the tender participants on the conditions of the tender, according to Armenian Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan.

The evaluation committee plans to approve the specifications of the request for proposals on October 8th while the details will be made public two days later.

“On October 10, we will make this information public, after that the participants will have the opportunity to submit applications,” says Sargsyan.

Applications to participate in the second round can be submitted until January 10th, 2025, while the evaluation commission will begin reviewing applications from January 11th. The winner will be selected by the end of March 2025.

The new biometric documents will speed up queues at airports and allow Armenian citizens to use e-gates, according to the deputy minister. The country is also working on reducing wait times for biometric documents at government offices.

“The infrastructure for issuing identification cards is outdated and problems often appear during the operation,” says Nelly Davtyan, deputy head of the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The upcoming system of ID cards and biometric passports should solve the problem, she added.

Last year, Armen Ghazaryan, head of the Migration Service, warned that the country’s passport system has been lacking investment for years.

“The fact that this system has survived so far with a minimal investment was thanks to the enthusiasm of the employees,” says Ghazaryan.

Article Topics

Armenia  |  biometric identification  |  biometric passport  |  biometrics  |  identity document  |  public-private partnerships  |  tender