Belarusian Authorities Award Biometric ID Contract

Belarus will soon begin issuing new ID cards and biometric passports thanks to a contract awarded to China-based ID solutions provider Emperor Tech and Latvian eID software specialist X Infotech.

The companies have been selected to deliver both hardware and software for new ID programs to RUE Cryptotech, a state company overseen by the Belarus Ministry of Finance. In a statement announcing the contract, the companies explained that the solutions will support “a system for collection, processing and storing of biometric and identity data, personalization and issuance of biometric documents.”

It isn’t yet clear which specific biometric modalities will be incorporated into the new IDs. Commenting on the project, Acting Deputy of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Pavel Khrischenovich explained that the plan is “to create a single system for identification of the individuals that is based on the maximum possible coverage of all segments of the population.”

Belarusian authorities say the new biometric documents will start being issued in 2019, but that the new ID program will not entail the mandatory replacement of current passport documents. Rather, citizens will obtain the new biometric passports when their current documents expire.

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May 28, 2018 – by Alex Perala