Dnevni avaz: Issuing the new identification cards supplemented by biometric chip, as the ones which will be found next year in BiH passports, could begin in 2013, has been said by the director of the Agency for the CIPS project implementation, Mr. Siniša Macan for “Dnevni avaz”. According to him, the new identification cards are already in the plans of the Agency.

CIPS is ready

Agency is technically already equipped, and issuing new identification cards could even start earlier, but there is no need to hurry up, or press the citizens to change their documents before it is necessary, said Mr. Macan.

Cost of identification cards

10 KM in B&H

28, 5 KM in Serbia

5 Euros in Montenegro

He also confirmed that nobody from Brussels has sent a demand to BiH for including the chips in the ID cards because it relates to a national document, but in the future it will be predicted. Such demand will be logical deal when our country gets closer to the full membership in the European Union.

Neighbors’ examples

Existing identification cards already contain the biometric data, inside the 2D code. Since the readers of these codes were not yet available, this info could be abandoned. Today, the code on the back of a document serves as protection principle which could be checked by institutions if needed.

It is hard to predict how much identification card renewing will cost because the standards in this area change almost every month, Macan has said.

Along with issuing biometric passports, Serbia issued identification cards with chips. The same thing did Montenegro this year. Croatia plans to do this by 2011. If this country becomes a part of the EU by 2011, its citizens will be able to travel inside the EU with an ID card. This country did not yet impose biometric travel documents.