The law "On the unified state demographic register and identity documents confirming citizenship of Ukraine, certifying identity and its special status," which provides for introduction of biometric passports, comes into force today, on December 6.
The law was published in the Holos Ukrainy parliamentary newspaper on December 5 and, as stipulated in the law, it will come into force on the day following the day of its publication.
According to the law, a passport is to be made in the form of a card containing a contactless electronic carrier and in which the following information is provided: the name of the country; the name of the document; the person's name, sex, nationality, and date of birth; the unique entry number in the register, the number of the document; the expiration date of the document, the date of issuance of the document; the authorized entity that issued the document (code); place of birth; a digitized photograph; a digitized signature.
It also stipulates that the passport is to be issued to all individuals from birth and regardless of age, for a period of 10 years.
According to the law, an international passport is to be issued in the form of a booklet, the right bookend of which contains a contactless electronic medium, and it should consist of a soft cover, 32 pages and data pages.
The law also stipulates that the demographic register is an electronic information and telecommunications system intended for storage, protection, processing, use and dissemination of information about a person or the documents that are issued with the use of the contents of the register.
The contents of the register are to be used to issue documents certifying a person's identity and confirming his citizenship, as well as documents certifying a person's identity and his special status.
In addition, the law allows people to refuse to enter their data into the contactless electronic medium because of their religious beliefs by submitting to the relevant central executive government agency a statement expressing their refusal to receive a document containing an electronic medium or their refusal to enter their information into it.
After that, the applicant will be issued a document not containing such a medium or his application not to enter the relevant information into it will be approved.
The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to adopt the standard legal acts necessary for implementation of this law within one month from the date of its entry into force (by January 6, 2013).
According to the law, work on introduction of registration and issuance of Ukrainian passports and the infrastructure for it should begin in the regions on January 1, 2013.
The identification and citizenship documents that were issued before this law comes into force will remain valid until they expire and are not subject to replacement.
The law stipulates that a state duty is not levied when a Ukrainian passport is being issued for the first time.
