Lebanese passports. (Credit: AFP/File photo)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's General Security announced on Monday the resumption of issuing biometric passports, starting Tuesday, following a hiatus of "several months," General Security's media office head Mounir Akiki confirmed to L'Orient Today.
Lebanon has been experiencing an uptick in passport applications since the onset of its economic crisis around three years ago, leading to a shortage of travel documents and driving General Security to resort to issuing non-biometric passport — the so-called “2003” form, a template that the agency started issuing in 2003.
Appointments to renew passports have also been hit by long delays, with many applicants waiting a year or longer to be granted passport renewals.
General Security said in a statement on Monday that biometric passport issuance will resume "in all regional public security centers and the public relations department, according to the previously specified platform dates."
Akiki also told L'Orient Today that security agency will gradually start to bring the appointment dates obtained through the online platform closer, adding that applicants whose dates will be brought forward will be notified by text messages.
The media head added that General Security will consider this a "re-evaluation stage," where the agency will monitor its ability to meet the high demand that will be caused by bringing passport appointments forward.
General Security has been issuing citizens a non-biometric passport, the “2003” form, "for several months," Akiki said, which "are internationally recognized and have the same effects as biometric passports and do not cause their holders any problems."
He explained that the agency had a stock of the "2003" template, which it started using in 2021 to compensate for the shortage in biometric forms. Akiki added that General Security initially only issued the older form to citizens under 18 year old and those who were applying for a passport for the first time, but that as of Sept. 15, 2022, it started issuing all applicants with the 2003 template because the agency was completely out of the biometric form.
The 2003 template "is machine-readable and fully complies with the standards and specifications of the International Civil Aviation Organization," General Security's statement said, adding that citizens are still required to book passport appointments via the online platform, which was created because of the high demand for passports in light of the ongoing economic crisis and greatly increased Lebanese emigration.
The agency also announced that it will cancel all conditions previously required for obtaining a passport, excluding the condition of having a passport expiration which "does not exceed 18 months."
Due to the crisis, the government has struggled to order enough passport templates from abroad, driving it to impose certain requirements on Lebanese people seeking to obtain a passport, such as showing a valid plane ticket, hotel reservation or proof of registration for an educational institution.
In early January, General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim announced that in February, Lebanon will resume its passport production "to how it used to be before crisis."