A Lebanese passport. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Lebanese passports' biometric fingerprint system was launched in France on Thursday during a ceremony held at the Lebanese Embassy in Paris, according to the state-run National News Agency.
The system was launched by Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Rajji, and the Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, in the presence of Lebanese Ambassador to France Rabih al-Shaer, along with representatives of the French authorities and members of the Lebanese community.
From there, Rajji noted that this initiative will enable Lebanese citizens living abroad to obtain biometric passports without having to travel back to Lebanon, adding that this step is part of the Ministry's comprehensive plan to modernize consular services at Lebanese embassies and consulates worldwide.
He stressed that the Ministry's objective is to "support the Lebanese diaspora and facilitate access to consular services."
For his part, Hajjar said that the Interior Ministry will implement this system at Lebanese embassies and consulates in the Gulf countries and around the world. He added that this initiative will make it significantly easier for Lebanese expatriates to obtain passports and will also have a direct positive impact on the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Hajjar had officially launched last month the biometric fingerprinting service at the Lebanese Embassy in Kuwait, marking the first time the service has been introduced outside Lebanon.
In February, Rajji announced a major cut in consular fees for Lebanese living abroad, including a 50 percent reduction in the cost of biometric passports.
