Second Generation Biometric Passport Introduced in Hungary as well 2 July 2009
Passports also containing the fingerprint of the holder are now being issued in Hungary from 28 June 2009 as the outcome of a European Union-funded project supporting the creation and introduction of second generation biometric passports.
This project was
implemented with the help of European Union funding amounting to 989 million
HUF through the co-financing of the European Regional Development Fund within
the framework of the Electronic Administration Operational Programme. Dr Tibor
Draskovics, Minister of Justice and Law Enforcement, and Dr István Ignácz,
President of the Central Office for Administrative and Electronic Public
Services, held a joint press conference on the project on 2 July.
The aim of the introduction of second generation e-passports also containing
the digital fingerprint of their holders and the necessary infrastructure and
IT developments tying in with this is for Hungary to fulfil relevant obligations
ensuing from membership in the European Union.
By using biometric identifiers, travel documents become safer and prevent
unauthorised use, since a reliable and explicitly verifiable connection is
created between the document and its true owner.
The introduction of passports also containing fingerprints will not affect
visa-free travel to the United States; biometric passports issued from 29
August 2006 will continue to be accepted the way they have been up till
now.
The second generation biometric passport project has also created the
opportunity for parents or guardians of minors under the age of 14 to apply for
personal ID cards, as well as to place the name and current telephone number of
the parents or guardians of minors on the residential identity card issued to
minors, if requested. Placing the name and telephone number of the parent or
guardian of the minor benefits the safety of children under the age of 14. Free
movement of persons is one of the four basic freedoms on which the European
Community is founded and enables Hungarian citizens to travel to EU member
states with a personal ID card. However, until now only citizens aged over 14
were entitled to travel like this. Given that minors under the age of 14 are
also being issued personal ID cards from 28 June 2009, they will no longer need
to apply for a passport to travel to many countries in Europe.