No delays in issuing biometric foreign passports in Ukraine

13:29, 26.07.2018 1 min read

Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said no delays in the issuance of new biometric foreign passports have been reported.

"There are no more queues for receiving a new biometric passport across Ukraine […] In fact, the situation returned to normal one week ago […] I can officially say today that there are more delays in issuing passports," Avakov said on his Facebook page on Thursday.

However, Avakov said there can be delays if the person applying is from an area occupied by Russian hybrid forces and applies using his internal passport.

Avakov thanked State Migration Service staff, led by Maksym Sokoliuk for "performing a difficult task."

"Next steps include preparing for the use of an electronic digital signature in an ID card and offering the option of replacing 1994 passports for a biometric ID card. The aggressor state's recent provocations demonstrate the need to introduce new secure documents. This is a matter of national security and safety of society. I think that this is the number one task for the migration service next year," the minister said.