All Population and Immigration Authority Offices Now Issue Biometric Documents

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The biometric documentation project began about two months ago. The first Population and Immigration Authority offices started issuing biometric documents to the public, joined gradually by the rest of the offices.

Last week the Population and Immigration Authority Office in Tel Aviv joined the project, and so as of last week all authority offices across Israel issue biometric documents.

The smart biometric documents are meant to counter identity theft and document forging. Each year over 600,000 new I.D. cards are issued, over a quarter of which are lost or stolen. According to the latest statistics an I.D. is stolen or lost every four minutes, and at least some of these documents reach criminal or terrorist elements.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

The issuing process for smart documentation is short and simple. It includes a few identity verification questions, taking two finger prints and taking a facial features photo – means of identification that are unique to each person.

The pilot project will be carried out over the next two years, during which the issuing of biometric documentation will be optional.