Fingerprinting for new passports starts

People calling at the Passports Office to apply for a new passport or renew the existing one are now required to have their fingerprints taken, Infrastructure Ministry officials said today.

The requirement is part of an EU directive.

People whose passports are still valid will not be not required to submit their fingerprints until the renewal of their passports comes up.

The database of the fingerprints is very secure and the data cannot be shared or accessed by anyone, not even the police, the officials said.

The fingerprints will be carried in the chip forming part of the new biometric passports.

The process had nothing to do with the issuing of new Identity Cards. No decision has been taken yet on whether fingerprints will feature in the new e-ID cards.

In terms of the Schengen agreement, Maltese travellers can continue to go to Schengen Area countries using valid ID cards.

Similarly, people going to the US do not need to replace their passports as long as they are valid.

The fingerprints requirement does not apply for children under 12 and those people whose fingerprints cannot be read - as long as a doctor's certificate is produced.

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