Photo source: CivilNet.am

Starting this autumn, Armenia will begin transitioning to a biometric passport system that complies with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This transition is part of the EU–Armenia Visa Liberalization Action Plan.

The introduction of biometric passports is a key requirement in the process of visa liberalization with the European Union. Its purpose is to ensure that travel documents issued by Armenia are more secure against forgery and fully comply with the international standards established by ICAO.

“As you can see, passports that do not comply with ICAO standards will be phased out gradually. We have chosen not to implement harsh or inconvenient solutions for citizens,” said Arpine Sargsyan.

Although no final deadline has yet been set for the complete withdrawal of old passports from circulation, the minister emphasized that, in line with internationally accepted standards, only passports that meet international requirements will eventually remain in circulation in Armenia.

You can read the full article here.

The author of this article is Arshaluys Mghdesyan, a journalist from Civilnet.am within the framework of the “EU–Armenia Strategic Partnership and Visa Liberalization Dialogue” program, implemented jointly by the Public Journalism Club and the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia.

It should be noted that on March 26–27 of this year, Arshaluys Mghdesyan participated in a two-day seminar in Aghveran under the same program title. Within the framework of the seminar, 11 representatives of Armenian media outlets met with Vassilis Maragos, Ambassador of the European Union to Armenia, as well as ambassadors and consuls of EU member states and representatives of Armenian state institutions, to discuss the progress of EU–Armenia cooperation, including visa-related issues.