A Lebanese passport. (Credit: Muhammad Yassin/L'Orient-Le Jour/File photo)
BEIRUT — Following an announcement on May 31, the Lebanese Embassy in Ottawa, Canada, has since June 1 stopped "accepting dark blue passport (2003) applications"; however, it continues to receive biometric passport applications.
According to the embassy's published statement, it is now accepting biometric passport applications "under the condition that the applicant has previously received a biometric passport."
This decision is in line with Circular No. 108 issued by Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants on May 31.
People excluded from the decision are "those who are under 15 years old and those above 60 years old as they can apply for a biometric passport even if they did not have it previously."
Given that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requires machine-readable passports, Lebanon's General Security can no longer issue handwritten travel documents.
However, the lack of equipment in Lebanese embassies abroad prevents them from taking the fingerprints of first-time applicants for biometric passports.
In other words, Lebanese foreign missions can only renew the biometric passports of people who already have them since they will not need to retake their fingerprints.