Persons who refuse biometric passports will be issued with papers without identification number

The persons who will refuse the new biometric passports for religious reasons will be issued with identification papers without state identification number of person (IDNP), Info-Prim Neo reports. In a communique, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology says the temporary identity card (without IDNP and additional biometric data) will continue to be issued, but will be valid in Moldova only as no other country will recognize a document that does not meet the international standards laid down in the ICAO instructions by which Moldova abides. In all the states, the religious organizations complied with the legal requirements. The biometric passport includes an electronic chip that contains information about the holder, namely the digital picture, fingerprints, name, surname, patronymic, date of birth, number of the passport, issuing date, expiration date, and the holder's signature. The persons who hold valid non-biometric passports are not obliged to change them for biometric ones. The non-biometric passports issued before December 31, 2010 will be used until their period of validity expires. As many as 3,827 applications for biometric passports have been submitted during the first days of the new year. A biometric passport issued in 30 days costs 850 lei.