Where, how, why and for how much to get a new passport for citizens of Ukraine.
Photo 1 of 4:© wikipedia.org
As we all know, in order for the EU to open for Ukraine visa-free regime, a number of requirements must be met on our part. One of them is to replace existing passports with biometric ones. But not everyone still really understands what it is and how they will act. Let's figure it out together.
What biometric passport?
- This is a document that gives the right to leave the country and enter foreign countries. A biometric passport differs from the usual one in that it has a special microprocessor chip embedded in it, which contains information about its owner: a two-dimensional photograph of its owner, as well as his data: last name, first name, patronymic, date of birth, passport number, date of issue and expiration actions.
© wikipedia.orgBesides, new passport differs from the old one also with new watermarks and special paper.
According to the specialists of the plant, which produced the first copies of biometric passports, historical themes are used in the issuance of a passport. The pages of the document reflect all stages of the life of Ukraine, starting with the Trypillia culture. According to experts, the security of the biometric passport is made at the highest level, this issue was approached carefully, starting with the choice of paper - it will be with yellow-blue fibers with a fixed multi-tone watermark.
According to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of November 26, 2014 No. 669, a clear procedure for obtaining, extracting and destroying digitized fingerprints of a person is defined. After scanning the fingers, the digitized data is entered into the Unified State Demographic Register and transmitted via secure communication channels to the Main Computing Center of the Register. After that, a note is made in the Unified Demographic State Register that the fingerprints are entered in a contactless electronic medium, and a corresponding mark is made upon the fact of issuing the document.
How to get a biometric passport?
To obtain a passport, you must bring the following documents: internal passport, an identification code, as well as a certificate from the military registration and enlistment office or a military ID for young people under 25 years old. Already on the spot, everyone who wants to get a biometric passport writes an application, takes a picture and puts his fingers to the scanner.
Where to apply for a biometric passport?
Since the beginning of this year new passport can be issued at any branch of the State Migration Service (GMS), that is, at the OVIR at the place of registration or at a special branch in Kyiv. They promise that soon it will be possible to issue a passport at any OVIR, regardless of the place of registration of a citizen.
What information is included in a biometric passport?
Fingerprints and other digitized data are entered on the chip - a photo and a signature indicated on the first inner page of the passport. Also on the first page will be indicated:
the name of the state;
surname and name of the owner, his gender, citizenship, date and place of birth;
serial number of the passport;
date of issue and expiration (10 years);
identification code of the passport holder;
photo and signature.
Optionally, additional data can be added to the chip, for example, blood type. But data on the owner's children cannot be entered into the new passports - a separate biometric passport must be issued for the child.
Is it necessary to obtain a biometric passport?
Getting a new biometric passport is not mandatory. If you do not want to receive it, you can use the old-style passport until its expiration date. But then you will not be able to count on visa-free travel to countries European Union even after the introduction of a visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU.
How much will a biometric passport cost?
The head of the State Migration Service, Sergei Radutny, says that a new biometric passport will cost Ukrainians 518 hryvnias. From January, only 30 registration points will work, but in a month they promise to launch them in all branches of the service in Ukraine.
All foreign passports issued before 2015 will remain valid and it is not necessary to change them to biometric ones. In addition, it will be possible to refuse to enter fingerprints and an electronic chip and issue a regular passport. It will cost less - 461 hryvnia.
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Today there is no urgent need to obtain a biometric passport. In many cases, it may not be feasible to obtain it. We should not forget: the management of the FMS has repeatedly stated that the recipient has the right to choose the type of passport.
If your office does not have biometric passport production facilities, you must be given an address where this equipment is present.
In some offices, in order to fulfill the plan for issuing biopassports, they refuse to accept documents for old-style passports. This is illegal, a call to a higher division of the FMS or even a simple visit to the office of the head of the department usually leads to the fact that the documents are accepted. The algorithm for restoring fairness is given in the section.
During the first 4 months of 2010, 1,657,387 international passports were issued, including 691,768 old-style passports and 965,619 biometric passports. The FMS plans for 2010 to issue 4.5 million biometric passports and 1.5 million old-style passports. Most likely, it will turn out that over 2.1 million old-style international passports will be issued this year, that is, approximately 50% more than planned. But at the beginning of the year, the Federal Migration Service of Moscow and St. Petersburg announced that the departments were provided with the necessary number of forms, and statements about their alleged shortage are incorrect: all departments in Moscow and the central department of St. Petersburg are required to issue and issue old-style passports.
Below are the various factors to consider when choosing between a 10 year old biometric passport and a 5 year old passport.
Validity
Biometric passports are issued for 10 years, ordinary ones for only 5 years. If you travel 2 times a year (in summer to Europe, in winter to Egypt), then in 10 years you can use up 20 pages of your passport for visas + a couple more for date stamps. It is clear that in such a situation it is reasonable to obtain a 10-year biometric passport and thus minimize communication with the FMS. If your travel frequency is higher and blank pages of your passport run out faster than its lifespan, it is wise to get an old-style passport and save on fees.
If you receive a passport for a small child, do not forget that the document must be replaced in case of a significant change in the appearance of the baby (you determine the degree of materiality together with the border control staff). Therefore, it hardly makes sense to obtain a 10-year biometric passport for one year old baby- at the age of 5 he will become unrecognizable, and such a passport will have to be exchanged anyway.
Turn
The worst scourge of many departments of the Federal Migration Service is the queues. If your branch has fallen into the category of problematic (despite the general negative public opinion, there are few of them, but they are), and you do not want or cannot afford to spend a week checking in the queue, think about whether you are behind the right passport.
Many places have two independent waiting lists for different types of passports. Or passports are issued in different departments. Moreover, depending on the department, the queue for a biometric passport can be either longer or shorter than for a regular one. In addition, very often a passport can be obtained both at the department at the place of residence and at the FMS department in the region.
Production time
The process of entering information about the owner into the passport form is called personalization.
In the case of an old-style passport, personalization takes place directly at the FMS department that you applied to. Biometric passports are personalized at Goznak. The branch only sends an application for the production of a passport by e-mail, then it is processed for about a week, and then the finished passport travels for another week through the courier communication channels to your branch, where, again through the network, the transport code is removed from it, i.e. chip is activated.
At the same time, delays are possible due to the fault of the network (it is impossible to send an application), Goznak (equipment failure), mail and again the network (activation). When applying for biopassports, FMS employees like to say: "We are in month we met, all the checks were carried out, and we sent a request for the production of your passport exactly 30 days after you submitted the documents. And what's next - no longer depends on us, wait."
If the monthly period for issuing a passport is important for you, try to get an old-style passport.
However, it must be admitted that in many regions there is now a practice of issuing an old-style passport instead of a late new one in the event that a citizen asks for it (for example, in connection with a last-minute ticket).
Convenience
In the case of ordinary passports, you bring your photos and application and go home for a month to wait for a new passport.
In the case of biometrics, you must additionally take a picture in the department in a special photo booth, and also wait until the data from your application is entered into the computer. Photographing young children can be a bit of a challenge. To facilitate data entry, the department has a scanner and a special program that enters data from your questionnaire. The problem is that if the questionnaire does not correspond to the established sample or the equipment is faulty, employees will enter the data manually in front of you, sometimes with two fingers. It is clear that this negatively affects the size of the queue.
Inscribing children
Despite the fact that, according to Russian law and international recommendations, children have long been prohibited from traveling on the passports of their parents, where they are inscribed, the practice of inscribing children in their parent's international passports allows them to move almost freely between countries. To break this practice, the Federal Migration Service first stopped adding children to biopassports, and then, with the transition to a 10-year validity period, added a warning to the passport form stating that registered children are required to receive individual documents, and excluded places for pasting photos. When issuing ordinary passports, FMS employees now warn about this orally. However, it must be admitted that there are many bilateral agreements between Russia and individual countries, such as Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, etc., which explicitly state that the parent's passport with information about the child is sufficient for the child to travel to this country.
At the same time, it is worth remembering that border control is carried out by employees of a completely different service, and in the spring of 2010 they clearly answered: we continue to let all children inscribed, except for those who are included in 10-year biopassports.
Accordingly, if a parent issues a 10-year biopass for himself, he will be forced to issue individual passports for his children. If a mother or father issues an old-style passport, he can enter the child there, and travel with him on one passport for some time, until the border service changes its decision or international agreements are revised.
Price
An old passport costs 1000 rubles for an adult, 300 rubles for a child. New - 2500 rubles and 1200 rubles, respectively. At the same time, information about children cannot be entered into a biometric passport, and this leads to additional costs when obtaining visas - after all, the number of paid visas is often equal to the number of passports, and not at all to the number of people leaving. In total, when obtaining old passports for a family of two parents and two children, you will spend a maximum of 2600 rubles, new ones - 7400 rubles.
Reliability
Obviously, the reliability of the microcircuit is lower than that of a paper sheet. Therefore, if you are not very careful, you risk ending up at the airport with a broken chip. According to the ICAO recommendations, which have not yet been approved, in this case the passport should be considered as a regular one, and, in general, this is what happens. Just keep this fact in mind.
Reality
Both passports have the same legal force. On the this moment only a few countries have installed equipment for reading data from chips in passports at checkpoints, and this equipment only controls the passports of residents of the respective countries, foreigners are processed separately. No country has any immediate plans to restrict non-biometric passport holders on entry. Regardless of the type of passport, its holder generally receives visas. If a country requires visitors to provide fingerprints, this information will be recorded in the visa, the type of passport does not affect this either. As for the prospects for the universal introduction of biometric passports, the following fact should be noted: in 2005, ICAO, the international organization that determines the requirements for passports, decided on the universal mandatory use of machine readable passports, those where a special area at the bottom of the page with personal data is filled with characters, i.e. e. "old" passports. According to the decision, 190 countries agreed to fully switch to the issuance of such passports from 2010, and until then, when issuing non-machine readable passports, to ensure that their validity period is less than 2015. It is reasonable to expect that when and if a decision is made to fully switch to biometric passports, the timing of the transition will be similar.
conclusions
After the introduction of 10-year biopassports, it began to make sense to get them - despite all their shortcomings, the doubled life of the document more than covers them. If you often travel abroad and change your passports due to the exhaustion of free pages in them, get an old-style passport. In addition, it makes sense to get 5-year passports without a chip for small children.
Very soon, the Urals will begin to receive new, biometric passports. At the same time, no one cancels the “old” ones, and officials do not tire of emphasizing that their mass replacement is not expected. Not only that: applications for old-style documents also continue to be accepted. If you want a “new” passport, order it, if you want an “old” one... What is a biometric passport, how to apply for it and why is it needed at all? Ural TourServer found out almost everything about the new documents.
Biometrics has its pros and cons. One way or another, the rules of personal identification are changing in the world. The European Union and the United States insist: the world should gradually switch to biometric passports. In Russia, this process has begun, slowly but surely. Since January 2006, as an experiment, new generation passports have been issued in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad. The experiment passed, albeit with varying success, and now new format introduced throughout Russia. In Yekaterinburg, the first point will open any day.
What is the difference between a new passport and a regular one?
There are few external differences. Unless the page with the owner's photo is placed at the beginning, and not at the end. But the “stuffing” of this page is very different: a microchip is sewn inside, which stores personal information and a color photograph of the owner. The photo is not simple, it is she who is the carrier of the biometric parameter (more on this below). The size of the state duty differs: a new one costs 1,000 rubles for an adult and 500 rubles for a child (the old one costs 400 and 200 rubles, respectively). The degree of protection differs: a new passport is more difficult to forge. Firstly, they are printed only in one printing house, at Goznak, since only there is the possibility of printing by laser engraving. Secondly, the microchip is very difficult to hack, as it uses a good electronic signature algorithm. There are no more differences.
What is a microchip?
Based on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Chip) technology. Information from it is read contactlessly, the principle of operation is reminiscent of scanning a barcode from products in a supermarket. According to the governments of European countries and the United States, the new technology not only simplifies the procedure for crossing borders, but also provides additional protection against international terrorism. However, not everyone considers these chips reliable: a year ago, BBC journalists conducted an experiment and, using a reader costing about $400, they were able to easily copy all the information about the passport holder into a computer.
What exactly is "biometric" in the new passport?
Now in the new generation of international passports, only one biometric parameter is indicated: the distance between the pupils of the eyes. This parameter is “hardwired” into digital photography (which is why photography is not simple). No fingerprints and retinas, despite the hasty reports of some media, will not yet be in the new passports. “If the G8 countries set such a task, we are ready to introduce other bioparameters, including in ready-made passports,” Tatiana Lepeshonok, a leading specialist of the Federal Migration Service of Russia in the Sverdlovsk region, assured the Ural TourServer correspondent. “But now no one sets such a task.”
Where to apply for a biometric passport?
At the time of this writing, March 5, 2008, there are no such places in the Sverdlovsk region. The only point of acceptance of applications, on the street. Krylova, 2, is still being prepared. The system was going to be launched at the end of February, but they did not have time. When exactly this will happen, no one knows. Promise that from day to day.
As Tatyana Lepeshonok, press secretary of the Federal Migration Service for the Sverdlovsk Region, told Ural TourServer, the procedure for “technical testing of communication channel equipment” is now underway: “Today we sent two test questionnaires to Moscow, now we are waiting for them to receive finished documents. After that, it remains for us to check the readers: whether everything is functioning as it should. Then we will send another 14 “probes” to Moscow and check again. As soon as positive results are received, we will start accepting questionnaires. It's not as long as it seems."
Until the end of 2008, points will be opened in 15 more subdivisions of the Federal Migration Service of Russia in the Sverdlovsk region. In the meantime, there will be only one application acceptance point for the entire Sverdlovsk region. Today, there are 4 photo booths and 15 workplaces. It is not surprising that officials are afraid of the hype surrounding new passports.
Already, those wishing to obtain a biometric passport are contacting Krylova 2. But so far applications are not being accepted.
What documents will be needed?
For admission to a new generation passport, you must provide the following documents:
- application form (2 copies),
- passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation,
- government duty 1000 rubles (payment is made at the branches of Sberbank of Russia),
- a previously obtained passport,
- persons of military age (18-27 years old) provide a certificate from the military registration and enlistment office of the established form.
The application must be certified at the place of the last place of work, since it contains the column “ Labor activity”, just like in an application for a regular passport.
Children under 14 years of age for admission to a new generation of international passport must provide the following documents:
- application form for children (2 copies),
- birth certificate with a mark of belonging to the citizenship of the Russian Federation (with a photocopy),
- state duty 500 rubles (payment is made at the branches of the Savings Bank of Russia),
- previously received passport (if any).
Photographing is carried out only when receiving questionnaires at the Federal Migration Service.
Children cannot be entered in the biometric passport. To travel abroad with a child of any age, you will have to issue a personal passport for him.
Do production times differ?
By law, no. The term for issuing a new generation passport cannot exceed one month from the date of filing an application for its issuance. Exactly the same period is provided by law for ordinary passports. In fact, since new passports are printed exclusively at the Goznak factory, the issuance process can be a little longer. In addition, the employees of the Federal Migration Service themselves admit that at first, failures are possible. Judging by media reports, there were many such failures in Moscow: delays were up to six months.
Will you have to queue?
In Moscow, Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg in January, huge queues lined up for new passports. Worked journalistic "duck" that the validity of old-style passports will end in 2009. Of course, a whole army of "entrepreneurs" immediately appeared, offering to resolve the issue out of turn for an additional fee. Officials had to spend a lot of effort to convince people that the excitement was created artificially, and that no one is going to cancel old passports. It is possible that a similar excitement will arise in our country.
Can an intermediary be entrusted with issuing a biometric passport?
Firms have already appeared offering to resolve the issue with a new passport faster and easier. However, the simplification mechanism is not entirely clear, because in any case you will have to come to the FMS in person to take a picture. No intermediary has special equipment for this.
When will old passports be cancelled?
Nobody knows. But in the next 5 years this will not happen for sure. The “old” foreign passport familiar to us has not lost its rights at all with the introduction of the new one, so it is still issued, and still for a period of 5 years.
Is it true that since 2009 many countries will not be allowed to enter with an old passport?
Indeed, the press has repeatedly broadcast the fear that the countries of Europe and the United States will refuse to let guests in with ordinary, non-biometric passports. The fact is that in 2002, 118 countries of the world signed the New Orleans Agreement, which recognized facial biometrics as the main identification technology for international passports and entry visas of the next generation, and decided from August 2006 to completely switch to such passports. However, most of the EU countries missed the deadline: only seven states announced their readiness. The deadline was then pushed back to 2009. Rumors immediately spread that from January 1, 2009, the United States and European countries would close their borders to all holders of old-generation passports.
However, despite the hype in the media, so far, nowhere in the world, not a single official source has openly stated this. The term “since 2009” is not specified in any interstate agreement. It is possible that since 2009 the rules for crossing borders will change, and when entering the Schengen zone, you really will have to take fingerprints and scan the retina. But in any case, passports have absolutely nothing to do with it. Security measures at the entrance to the European Union are still in the nature of intention. The date of entry into force of the document was not agreed upon even within the EU.
Why is it needed at all?
So far Ural TourServer has found only one real advantage. Self-registration kiosks are now being installed at some Moscow airports, which can read information from new generation passports. In these kiosks, an air passenger can check in on his own, and he does not have to stand in queues for check-in. But this is not yet everywhere, and it only applies to passengers without luggage. Not all holders of new generation passports are generally aware that they have such an advantage. One way or another, when passing through border control, people with new passports do not have any advantages.
A general passport is an official identity card of a citizen when leaving / entering a country and staying on the territory of another state. And, conversely, on the territory of Russia, the document certifies the identity of Russians with a place of permanent residence abroad, although some institutions may require a different identity card.
In practice, it can be used on the territory of Russia - when buying railway and air tickets, present it at the bank for foreign exchange transactions.
Passport form
In Russia, two types are currently being issued foreign passport:
- Ordinary foreign (old model).
- Biometric passport.
The old passport has 36 pages, the page with personal data is at the end, and there is no image of the chip on it. The photo is glued in, not laser printed, the inscriptions on the cover are in Russian and there are no emblems.
This format is valid for five years, and is issued faster than a biometric one. For a one-time trip outside the state or trips over the next five years, it is quite suitable.
A biometric passport is already a document of a new format. It has 46 pages, and on 44 of them the number and series are printed. The dark red cover depicts the coat of arms of Russia, the inscription with the name of the document and the state that issued it is duplicated in English.
The photo is not pasted, but applied using laser engraving. On the cover and page with personal data there is a sign indicating the presence of a biometric chip. With frequent and regular border crossings, it is recommended to issue an identity card of a new format - its validity period is 10 years.
What is the difference between old and new credentials?
Different types differ not only in the way the photo is applied and the validity period, but also in the registration procedure and the amount of the state duty.
The obligatory state duty to be paid directly depends on the complexity of production, and the former format of a foreign passport will come out cheaper.
The main difference in the procedure for issuing a new identity card is fingerprinting. Although it does not affect the processing time in any way - they are identical in both cases and are the same for the categories of citizens to whom papers are issued with particular urgency.
- restrictions:
- Provision of a work book by adult citizens (after 18 years).
- The photo must be taken by yourself and brought to the passport office.
The main stage of registration is filling out the questionnaire, here you can act on your own, there is nothing complicated about it, or entrust the matter to professionals. Almost everywhere, at the offices of the migration service, there are separate organizations where specialists, for a fee, will fill out all the forms or assist in filling them out.
Both types are recognized by all existing states, and Migration Service accepts them both for exit / entry into the territory, and for presentation after passing the borders. It is possible that soon all travelers will need biometric options, but for those papers that have already been received, they will be allowed into any country as long as they are valid.
The rumor is completely unjustified that it is impossible to issue a Schengen visa with a valid identity card with no other visas.
Any visa will be issued with the correct paperwork, but they may be asked to come for an interview and ask about the purpose of the trip, places of residence, knowledge of the language and the import of currencies, in order to make sure that there are no illegal intentions of the trip, the ability to navigate in the country where the applicant wants to go.
Can I have two passports?
It is possible and absolutely legal. Traveling citizens can freely submit one document for a visa to travel to any country, and they themselves can travel with another without delay. This helps to avoid problems with obtaining visas in states that do not admit people with entry visas to hostile countries. Another original hides such facts from the migration services.
The only limitation is that the second one is issued only in biometric form. This new passport is also issued for ten years, and has its own validity period, independent of the first one.
Children's documents
Children usually travel with an old passport (for 5 years), this is due to the rapid change in appearance (small children change every year), and the need to frequently change documents due to new photos. Making a certificate for 10 years is simply pointless.
In many countries, a child can travel with the documents of his parents, and he will be accepted if he travels with relatives, and there is an entry about the children in the parent's documents. Biometric passports, on the other hand, are exclusively individual documents where children are not recorded, since they use fingerprints and a photo of only its owner.
It is more convenient to travel to countries such as Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria with an old passport with children indicated in it.
The main thing to remember is that you cannot go anywhere with a document that is no longer valid.
Where will they not accept the old passport?
Which countries are not allowed to enter with old-style passports? This moment occupies the minds and time of many Russians. There are no such countries. While documents of the primary format are issued in Russia, you can use them to travel anywhere in the world, the main thing is to correctly draw up documents for entry, in accordance with the requirements of the country of destination, and do not forget to obtain a visa, if necessary.