Prague - Children as young as 6 years old will have to have passports with fingerprints, the government decided Monday 1 December.
The government asked the Chamber of Deputies to discuss the bill in a rapid procedure. If the Chamber approves the bill, the new type of passports will be issued from 1 April 2009.
"Biometric passports will be issued based on the European Union's requirement, which aims to prevent IDs falsification ," Interior Minister Ivan Langer said.
Biometric passports are one of the conditions set by the US for visa-free travel to the country.
Langer: 6 years of age is enough
The 6 years of age limit set by the government might not be enough, as for example Canada requires these types of passports for even younger children.
According to Langer, the government is trying to provide Czech parents with as much comfort as possible. "Some states make it necessary to have passports for children of 3 years of age. But we find this useless," Langer said.
This regulation concerns only newly issued passports, while the old ones remain valid until their date of expiration.
