Obtainment of new biometric passports will be voluntary, according to chief of the passport and visa department of Armenian police.
“New passports will be issued for all interested persons. Old passports will also remain valid. Upon expiration of the passport, people can again receive one of the old pattern,” Norayr Muradkhanyan told a news conference.
The terms for complete withdrawal of paper passports have not been determined yet.
The price for the biometric passport will be low in Armenia. It will cost AMD 1000 ($2,7). For instance, in Latvia and Georgia the cost is $80 and $55 respectively.
Armenian citizens can receive biometric passports and electronic ID cards from Sept. 2011. Biometric passports will contain the citizen’s name and last name, date and place of birth, photograph and two fingerprints. Electronic ID cards will contain the same data, but with an electronic signature instead of fingerprints.
