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Belarus chooses supplier of hardware, software to make biometric documents
MINSK, 18 May (BelTA) – The Belarusian R&D enterprise Cryptotech of the Mint Department of the Belarusian Finance Ministry signed a contract with the consortium of Emperor Technology (China) and X Infotech (Latvia) on buying equipment and software for making biometric documents in Belarus, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Interior Ministry website.
The consortium of Emperor Technology (China) and X Infotech (Latvia) has won the tender held to choose the supplier of equipment and software, which will be needed to operate a system for collecting, processing, and storing biometric and identification data, for personalizing and issuing biometric documents.
According to Pavel Khrishchenovich, Acting Deputy Head of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Belarusian Interior Ministry, since 2016 the relevant government agencies have been working to implement a set of measures for introducing biometric documents and creating a Belarusian integrated service and payment system. The Interior Ministry is in charge of coordinating the introduction and use of these documents.
Once the measures are implemented, identification cards will be introduced in Belarus as a personal identification document for domestic purposes. Biometric passports will be used for foreign travels. Plans have also been made to create a universal system for identifying individuals. It will allow combining all the agency-specific information systems and will allow users to get digital, administrative, informational, and payment services based on common rules (digital government).
There are plans to start issuing biometric documents in 2019. It will be done in a routine manner. There are no plans to replace current passports of Belarusian citizens with biometric ones on a mass scale. The Citizenship and Migration Department of the Interior Ministry pointed out that the current passports will be valid until they expire. They will be valid for foreign travels, too.
The Cryptotech enterprise is run by the Belarusian Finance Ministry. It is the leading enterprise for providing scientific and technical support for the operation of the Mint Department of the ministry, for the development of new secure document forms, and for the development of various anti-forging solutions. It is Belarus’ only manufacturer of documents based on plastic, including those with contact and wireless chips.
Emperor Technology Company makes equipment for personalizing electronic passports and electronic personal identification documents. The company’s equipment is used to make some 50,000 digital passports, 300,000 digital national personal identification documents (plastic cards) and over 1.2 million SIM cards on a daily basis. Document personalization equipment from Emperor Technology Company has been installed and is in use in China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
X Infotech Company is an internationally recognized supplier of software solutions for making and checking digital identification documents. The company’s software solutions have been installed in 45 countries across the globe, including the Economic Community of West African States and the European Union (European Union diplomatic passports, Lichtenstein passports, passports and identification cards of Ireland, identification cards in Latvia, and digital payment cards in Europe, Africa, and Latin America).
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