Azerbaijani citizens to get biometric passports

Biometric passports will be manufactured for Azerbaijani citizens by
the Swedish company Trub, Mehdi Najafov, the deputy head of the State
Population Register Service of the Justice Ministry of Azerbaijan
said, reports Trend.
Most countries in the world have switched to biometric passports to
ensure the effectiveness of preventive measures to combat
transnational crime, illegal trafficking in arms and drug smuggling
and other serious crimes. Azerbaijan has adopted a state program to
establish a national system of biometric identification.
According to Najafov, the new biometric passports will include
information on facial features, finger and palm prints of the passport
holder. The new generation passports will also indicate the personal
identification number of the owner, he said.
"After 2012, Azerbaijan's citizens will not be able to travel to
Europe and America with the old passports. The state program covers
the development of an appropriate legislative framework, information
systems, ensuring information security, manufacturing and issuing
biometric passports to the new generation," Najafov said.