Choose a passport: biometric or regular

The first biometric foreign passports in Russia appeared in 2006 - as part of a pilot project, they began to be issued in some cities of the country, and widespread registration began in 2009. The new document does not cancel the validity of a regular international passport, so currently Russians can choose which type of identity card to issue for traveling abroad. From this article you will learn about how a biometric passport differs from a regular one in order to make an informed choice.

What is a passport and why is it needed?

One of the main documents that must be presented at the border is a passport. It is intended to identify the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation outside the Russian Federation.

Today there are two types of foreign passports: new and old.

Tighter security control requirements at border crossings have led to the emergence of biometric passports. The idea of ​​using such documents was first voiced in 2001 in the United States after the tragic events of September 11. It was supported by 188 countries around the world, signing the New Orleans Agreement in 2002, which established facial biometrics as the primary identification technology for passports and visas.

It is believed that a document with a chip is a worthy replacement for a regular passport, since it provides a high degree of reliability: it is difficult to forge it, and therefore, to use someone else’s document. In addition, the RFID system used to read information from the chip is devoid of a subjective factor. Thanks to this identification method, the passport control procedure is also significantly reduced.

Registration of a biometric passport allows citizens of the Russian Federation to use it for much longer – up to 10 years.

New international passport

Every person knows that for foreign trips you need to have a special document that will identify the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation outside the country - a foreign passport. The need to develop such a document arose with the development of international civil aviation services. The introduction of uniform requirements for identification of citizens and other documents used in the field of air navigation made it possible to solve many problems, and over time, foreign passports began to be used for foreign trips both by plane and other modes of transport.

Issues related to the implementation of customs and immigration regulations are dealt with by the international organization ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), established by the Chicago Convention of 1944. It is she who develops the requirements for passport and visa documents that foreign passports issued to citizens in all countries of the world must comply with. Naturally, over the years the requirements change, deadlines for replacing documents are set, and therefore there is a need to obtain a new passport.

External differences between international passports

Validity period, technology for displaying information, cost - these are the main criteria for distinguishing the two types of foreign passports, which are manifested in the appearance of these documents. For example, the validity period of a biometric passport is longer, it has 10 more pages, so it is thicker. There are other differences as well. Images and regulations will help you determine what the difference is between a new and an old passport.

A detailed description of a foreign passport with electronic media is contained in Government Decree No. 687 dated November 18, 2005, and old-style passports are contained in Government Decree No. 298 dated March 14, 1997:

1. Cover. The cover of both types of international passports depicts the coat of arms of the Russian Federation, with the inscription “Russian Federation” on top and “Passport” on the bottom. On the cover and on all pages of the new passport, the inscriptions are duplicated in English. In addition, there is an embedded chip icon at the bottom.

2. Pages with personal data. In the old-style passport, personal information is placed on the back flyleaf, and in the new one, it occupies the second page, which is a plastic insert with a built-in microcircuit, which is attached using a tape made of a special material, while in the old-style passport the page with personal information is simply laminated.

3. The color photograph in the old-style international passport is pasted on, is bordered by an ornament on the left side, and has a hologram applied to it in the lower right corner. These details are absent from the black and white photo in the new passport; in addition, the photo is laser engraved.
4. On the left side of the page of the biometric passport there is a chip sewn in and a security element in the form of a circle, inside of which a rhombus with an image of the globe in the center is printed. The element is made of metallized film, on which, when applied, an additional image of the document owner is formed, visible from a certain viewing angle.
5. In a biometric passport, the owner’s signature is placed twice: on the second (bottom right) and third (bottom center) page, and in an old-style passport only on the adjacent 36th page (bottom center).
6. The third page in the biometric passport, in addition to the owner’s signature, has three security elements that change color: an oval with the inscription RUS and rounded stripes on the right and left of the page.
7. The passport number in the old version is written through the No. sign and placed at the bottom of 19 pages. In the new passport, the number is written with a space and is printed at the bottom of each page (from 5 to 46), as well as on the back flyleaf and cover using laser perforation.
8. Information about children. A new or old international passport provides the possibility of entering information about children. In a biometric foreign passport, the fourth page is allocated for these purposes, on which you can enter data about children into the table (full name, gender, date of birth, account), although no one does this. Important! Entering information about children into a biometric passport is not a basis for a child to travel without an identity document. Thus, this information is of an exclusively informative nature, which cannot be said about the old-style international passport - information about children and their photos, posted on pages 34-35, give them the right to cross the Russian border using parental documents.

9. Information for the owner. In the old-generation passport it is located on the third page, and in the new-generation passport it is on the back flyleaf.

10. Pages 45-46 of the new passport are equipped with a metallized security thread that changes color depending on the viewing angle. In addition, at the top of page 46 are the credentials (series and number) of the manufacturer. There is no such protection and information in the old-style international passport.
11. For a new type of international passport, paper with watermarks, security fibers and threads produced at Goznak printing factories is used. The old type passport is printed on a special printer at the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

We have listed the main differences between the two types of international passports, but the main difference is the chip containing the personal data of the document owner. By the way, since 2015, with the adoption of Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of February 10, 2014 No. 94, the list of personal information has been supplemented with fingerprint data.

New sample international passport or biometric international passport

ZAGRANPASPORT.RU provides services for preparing and submitting documents to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to obtain a new generation passport, valid for 10 years, containing a microchip with the owner’s biometric data.

Select the applicant's age.

• For adults
• Teenagers from 14 to 18 years old
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• procedure for filling out the application form for a biometric passport

We will help you with obtaining biometric passports in Moscow or the region, regardless of whether :

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Obtaining a biometric international passport with our help occurs only at the address for submitting documents: at the Department of Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia

Externally, a biometric passport is not much different from a regular one. However, there are special solutions that are used in new generation Russian bio passports.

• a microchip integrated into a plastic page contains information about the owner of the new passport, his color photograph, the date of issue and the authority that issued the document.
• the first plastic page of a biometric passport, all information on which is applied using laser engraving. The signature of the owner of a new type of foreign passport and his photo are also printed on the plastic page of the biometric passport. The plastic page of the biometric passport is attached to the book using a fabric insert.

This technology allows the owner of a biometric passport to significantly reduce the time it takes to go through border and customs procedures, since equipment is installed at the borders of most countries that allows information to be read from a microchip.

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What is fingerprinting and why is it needed?

Fingerprinting is a way of identifying a person by his fingerprints. This method was proposed in the 19th century by British police to search and identify people and is still widely used in forensic science. And now it is actively included in the everyday life of ordinary people (modern gadgets, biometric ID cards).

The high efficiency of this method is due to the unique papillary pattern of the fingers, which can be used to establish an unambiguous correspondence.

When applying for a foreign identity card, everyone undergoes a fingerprinting procedure, including children over 12 years of age. Prints are taken from the index fingers of both hands (Article 9 Chapter II of the Federal Law of August 15, 1996 N 114-FZ)

Children under 12 years of age, persons who are amputated, and government employees using a work visa are exempt from fingerprinting.

Not all countries are demanding in this matter, but they will definitely look at your fingerprints when entering the USA, EU countries, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Iran and Malaysia.

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Which passport is best for a child to travel abroad with?

The decision to issue a foreign passport with or without a chip for children under 18 years of age is made by parents (Article 8 of Federal Law No. 114-FZ of August 15, 1996). It is important to take into account several nuances:

1. Parents' passport type. If the parents have biometric passports, the child will have to make a separate document, but if the passports are old-style, it is possible to enter the child into them and transport him using his own document. However, in this case, a child under 14 years of age must have Russian citizenship and cross the border only with the parent in whose passport he is entered.
2. Child's age. One of the requirements for obtaining a foreign passport is a photograph. Children grow quickly, and their appearance changes, so making a biometric passport for them is rather impractical, because after 10 years the child will clearly noticeably change. Moreover, even if it is included in the parents’ passport, the child’s photograph will have to be changed every three years, but this is still easier to do.
3. Requirements of individual states for foreigners entering their territory. Thus, the US and Australian customs services will not allow a child to cross the border without their own identification document.

What is a biometric passport?

The issuance of passports with a chip containing a person's biometric data was a natural response to the terrorist attack in 2001. The very next year, 2002, more than 200 states signed the New Orleans Agreement. Russia began to implement its provisions in an experimental mode in 2009, and already in 2010, every citizen of the Russian Federation could receive such a passport.

It is worth noting that not all biometric data is “sewn” into the passport, but only the papillary patterns of the two index fingers.

If there are no index fingers, fingerprints are taken from the little, ring or middle fingers.

The iris of the eye and the temperature map of the face are not reflected in the microcircuit of the Russian foreign passport.

The procedure for scanning biometric data takes only one minute and takes place in comfortable conditions: no dirty hands after ink as after the usual fingerprinting - the finger pattern is recorded by the scanner.

Which international passport will be issued faster?

The time it takes to produce a document becomes relevant if an identity document for traveling abroad is urgently required. In this case, the main question becomes which international passport is made faster - the old or new type.

Let's see what the Administrative Regulations say about this (Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia dated November 16, 2017 N864). It is important that this part of the legal act does not focus on the type of document. The production time depends on the place of application. If this is the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for migration issues or the MFC at the place of residence - no more than one month; and at the place of residence - no more than three months. Citizens with security clearance will have to wait the same amount of time, as well as when processing a document at a diplomatic mission or consulate.

Urgent registration of a foreign passport within three working days is possible only in the presence of documented circumstances: the need for emergency treatment, illness or death of close relatives. Urgent processing applies only to old-style international passports. Unfortunately, biometric documents cannot yet be made so quickly.

The production time begins from the day the application is accepted.

How much to wait?

• no more than 1 month
  from the date of filing an application for a passport at the place of residence;
• no more than 4 months
  - from the moment of submitting the application at the place of residence (note: you can submit documents at a location other than your place of registration, but obtaining a passport will take longer);
• no more than 3 months
  if you had access to information of special importance or information classified as state secret.

A passport may be issued faster if the applicant is seriously ill, requires emergency treatment abroad, or has a death in a close relative. In this case, the period for obtaining a passport should not exceed three working days from the date of submission of the application. However, documents confirming these circumstances will be required.

Important

! Submitting an application through the government services portal does not in any way affect the deadline for processing the document.

What are the differences in validity and cost?

The validity period and cost of obtaining a foreign passport are two more important issues that are directly dependent: the shorter the validity period, the lower the price.

Thus, an old-style passport is issued for 5 years. For the production of this document, you need to pay a state fee of 2,000 rubles for adults and 1,000 rubles for children.

The validity of a biometric passport is 10 years. In July 2021, the State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted Law No. 180-FZ, which increased the amount of state duty for this type of document. Now an adult will pay 5,000 rubles for his international passport, and 2,500 rubles for a child’s passport (under 14 years old).

If you use the services of the government services portal, you can save 30% on issuing an identification document for a citizen of the Russian Federation abroad.

How and where can I apply for a passport?

The competent authority providing services for issuing identity cards for traveling abroad is the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. You need to initiate the process of obtaining a foreign passport by submitting an application and a package of required documents. You can do this in several ways:

• at a territorial unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs during a personal visit;
• on the public services portal by submitting documents electronically;
• in a multifunctional center at the place of residence or stay.

When applying for a biometric passport, be prepared to come to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to provide biometric data.

How long does it take to obtain a foreign passport through State Services?

You can receive a document at your place of permanent residence in a month or even earlier. The timing of receiving the document depends on the place of application. Those who indicated the address of temporary registration or actual residence as the place of receipt will have to wait up to 90 days. The same period is established for applicants whose work is or was previously connected with secrecy and state secrets.

In some cases, obtaining a passport may be denied. The applicant is given the reasons why he cannot be issued a document. This means that travel abroad is temporarily unavailable for him.