Ukraine's border crossing checkpoints are being equipped with biometric passports control systems, First Deputy Head of the State Border Guard Service Vasyl Servatiuk has said.

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk attended a presentation of the biometric system at Boryspil airport on Thursday. The system accelerates border control procedures by using automated input procedures and the non-contact format between passengers and border guards.

According to Servatiuk, the use of such terminals checks if a passenger is in the Interpol database and will take up to 6 seconds, and up to 5 seconds for domestic travel, in contrast to the 20 previous systems which took 20 seconds.

He said that the installation of such terminals is part of the plan on liberalization of the visa regime with the EU. The terminals have been installed at 98 checkpoints, and by the end of the year there will be 104, which corresponds to the visa-free regime plan.

In addition, border crossing checkpoints will be equipped with terminals for fingerprint checks. Only four checkpoints currently have such terminals, however 24 will receive them by the end of September.