First UK Biometric Passport Issued
The Foreign Office in Washington D.C. has issued the first UK biometric passports according to the Home Office. Offices in the UK are expected to start issueing the new style passport in April to some renewals and new applicants.
The switch over is expected to be complete by the end of August barring any initial problems. The only biometric information held on the passport at present is a biometric image of the face taken from the photograph. Fingerprint or iris information may be added at a later date. Current passports are valid until their expiry date and do not require updating to biometric status.
Posted on 22 February 2006
