Passport without biometrics: which countries will not allow Russians

What is the reason for the suspension of the issuance of new documents

Since February 2, Russia has temporarily suspended the acceptance of applications for the issuance of new-style passports with electronic media. This was reported by the service “Gosuslugi”. This is a biometric document that is valid for 10 years. In the summer of 2022, the Russian Foreign Ministry already announced the suspension of the issuance of such passports at Russian diplomatic missions abroad. Then this decision was associated with technical difficulties in the preparation of documents. What caused the next pause? What is the difference between new and old passports? Which countries may not be allowed to enter without biometric data? Grigory Skripilev, head of the dispute resolution and legal representation practice at Intercession, told MK about this.

– Goznak noted that the problems are related to the lack of special chips.

– Yes, the reason for the suspension of the issuance of foreign passports with electronic media (biometric passports), most likely, indeed, is the lack of the same electronic media (chips) that are sewn into a ten-year foreign passport.

At the moment, the lack of any equipment or components is a sensitive segment for the Russian Federation, taking into account the sanctions pressure exerted on the country. Parallel imports cannot yet fully satisfy all the needs of both business and the public sector. In addition, there is currently an increased demand for foreign passports among Russians, including those with electronic media.

– Will we be able to replace the imports of chips?

– You need to understand that the release of a chip is a multi-stage process that involves many links of one chain: equipment that consists of different components, logistics chains, the chip itself and its components. Most likely, some components are foreign, and in the face of sanctions pressure, their acquisition takes more time and money.

If it is possible to replace the missing components with analogues, both Russian and foreign, but from friendly countries, the demand will be satisfied. If “import substitution” fails, then, perhaps, such suspensions in the issuance of documents will occur from time to time in conditions of increased demand.

What is the difference between new and old passports? Which countries may not be allowed to enter without biometric data?

– A passport with an electronic carrier contains the chip itself, on which the recipient’s fingerprint is stored. The state duty for obtaining a document is more expensive, and the issuance procedure provides for the submission of biometric data. An ordinary passport does not contain such information about the recipient. A passport with a chip is valid for 10 years, an old-style passport is valid for 5 years.

It is important to note that we are talking about biometric passports. No one limits the receipt of old-style documents. They are also suitable for traveling all over the world, except for one country – Saudi Arabia. To obtain a visa to Saudi Arabia, a new passport is required.