A Biometric passport, also known as an e-passport, ePassport or a digital passport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains Biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers.
Lebanon Finally will join 120 country and start issuing biometric passports at the beginning of August, the Lebanese General Security announced Thursday.
Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Sudan, South Sudan, Qatar and United Arab Emirates have already introduced biometric passports.
Expatriates who renew their passports through embassies and missions overseas will receive the current, 2003 version.
Citizens can apply for the new passport at General Security centers across the country, except for the Baalbek areas of Hermel, Deir al-Ahmar, Shmustar, Rashaya al-Wadi and Mashghara. General Security centers in the north Lebanon towns of Minyeh, Bibnine and Meshmesh and the south Lebanon villages of Zahrani, Jbaa and Shebaa, will also not be issuing biometric passports, as they have not yet been linked to the General Security Directorate.
Hundreds of Lebanese queued outside the General Security Directorate in Beirut to renew their passports in January after the International Aviation Organization announced that it would no longer accept passports that have been renewed by hand.
Those who wish to obtain a biometric passport will need a passport form signed by a local mukhtar (government official), an ID card or an individual status record valid for three months, a new color photograph measuring 3.5 by 4.5 cm – also validated by the mukhtar – as well as an application fee as prescribed by the law.
After Nov. 30, 2016, General Security will not accept individual status records for biometric passport application and instead will require an up-to-date ID.
Minors must have parental approval in order to apply for a passport.