Ukraine will start issuing biometric passports from January 12, and 2.5 million documents of this kind will be issued every year, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has said.

"Ukraine is currently at the second stage of preparations for the introduction of a visa-free regime with the EU. The main element that needs to be done is to introduce biometric passports. Biometric passports will be issued in Ukraine from January 12. They meet the basic European standards and are one of the key requirements for Ukrainians to be able to travel to EU countries without visas," he said, while opening a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers in Kyiv on Friday.

Yatseniuk said that 35 terminals capable of issuing over 2,000 biometric passports per month had been set up in the country and that 606 points for issuing such passports should operate from February 15.

"In 2015, we will reach the figure of 2.5 million passports per year. Now we issue 1.5 million [passports per year], and then we will issue 2.5 [million passports per year]," he said.

At the same time, Yatseniuk said that all passports currently possessed by Ukrainians would be in effect until the end of their validity or until a person decides to replace his passport with a biometric passport.