Albania: The biometric passport; its appearance and biometric data stored on it; requirements and procedures to obtain a biometric passport from within Albania; whether it can be replaced or renewed from abroad (2012-June 2015)

1. Overview

Sources indicate that Albania began issuing the biometric passport in 2009 (EU 18 Apr. 2015; Balkan Insight 9 Oct. 2009). According to the website of the Albanian Embassy in the Netherlands, non-biometric passports were removed from circulation in Albania as of 1 March 2012, and from this date forward, only biometric passports have been legally recognized (Albania n.d.a). A 22 July 2014 article by Aleat Identity Services, the company responsible for producing biometric passports and identity documents for Albanian citizens on behalf of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, indicates that approximately 2.8 million biometric passports have been issued. Sources indicate that the biometric passport is valid for ten years (EU 18 Apr. 2015; Albania n.d.b).

2. Physical Characteristics and Security Features

According to the website of the Council of the European Union's Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online (PRADO), the Albanian biometric passport is a 50 page single booklet, burgundy in colour, with an integrated biodata card (EU18 Apr. 2015). A copy of the Council of the European Union's report and examples of the passport's security features are attached to this Response to Information Request.

Sources indicate that the biometric data stored in the passport includes fingerprints and facial images (EIU 31 May 2010; IHT 28 May 2010).

According to Balkan Insight, the implementation of biometric passports in Albania was "one of the principal conditions for the EU to include Albania in its list of countries whose citizens can travel without a visa to the Schengen bloc of states" (Balkan Insight 9 Oct. 2009).

3. Requirements and Procedures in Albania

A 2009 report by Albania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates that biometric passport applications must be filed in one of the 400 application offices in the "communes, municipalities and police commissariats throughout the entire territory of Albania" (Albania 12 Jan. 2009, 4). The website of the Albanian Embassy in the Netherlands states that applications may be submitted to "local registry offices" in Albania, located in the same city as the applicant's permanent address (Albania n.d.d). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates in its report that, prior to applying, applicants must pay a fee at a post office and the proof of payment must be included with their application (ibid. 12 Jan. 2009, 4). Applications are then sent to the "Personalisation Centre" in Tirana, and once made, they are sent to the corresponding "distribution office (the nearest police station)" for pick-up by the applicant (ibid., 4, 5). According to Albania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the processing time for a biometric passport is 15 days from the date of application (ibid. n.d.b). Passports may be picked up by the applicant at the pertinent department or police station or by the legal representative, authorized representative or by a family member (husband, wife, parent or child) of the applicant (ibid.).Prior to releasing the passport to the applicant, a biometrical verification process is conducted, whereby the applicant's fingerprint is matched to the document (ibid. 12 Jan. 2009, 4-5). Further information on biometric passport application procedures, including the documents required at the time of application, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Balkan Insight indicates that, as of September 2014, the price of a new passport was 6,500 Albanian Lek (ALL) [C$64] for applicants in Albania and 108 Euros [C$150] for applicants abroad, but that the price was expected to increase to 7,500 ALL and 130 Euros respectively in January 2015 (Balkan Insight 2 Sept. 2014). Further and corroborating information on the price of biometric passports could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Regarding biometric passport procedures for minors, Albania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website indicates that citizens under the age of 16 years can only apply for a biometric passport "in the presence of at least one parent, the legal custodian or designated representative with special power of attorney" (Albania n.d.b.). The same source notes that children up to six years old do not require fingerprinting but must must be present during the application process (ibid.).

4. Replacement and Renewals Abroad

Information on replacement and renewal procedures for lost Albanian biometric passports was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Albania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website notes that when an Albanian citizen loses their passport, they must immediately file a report with the police authorities in the concerned country and notify the diplomatic or consular mission in that same country (Albania n.d.b.). The website of the Albanian Embassy in Belgium indicates that biometric passport re-applications should include the applicant's old passport, a personal or family certificate, residence documents as well as a "payment coupon" (Albania n.d.c.). If an Albanian citizen loses their passport, they must provide the Embassy with "the notification paper of the police, legalized with Apostille or from the Foreign Ministry and the relevant Embassy for Belgium, Germany or Spain, and translated" (ibid.). Further information on replacement and renewal of biometric passports abroad could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

A 2 September 2014 article by Balkan Insight reports that Albania agreed to issue new birth certificates, identity cards and passports to "emigrants born abroad [...] where the birthplace is written in the local language of the country of birth rather than in Albanian." Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Top Channel, an independent national television station in Tirana who also produces new reports, indicates that as of 2013, Albanian citizens have been able to obtain biometric passports from Italy, Greece, Belgium and the US. Morpho, a high-technology company specializing in e-documents (Morpho n.d.), reports that as of 2012, embassies in Italy, Greece and New York have been able to issue biometric passports (Morpho 12 Nov. 2012).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Albania. 12 January 2009. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Visa Liberalisation Dialogue. Report on the Implementation by Albania of the Roadmap for Visa Liberalisation. [Accessed 27 May 2015]

_____. N.d.a. Albanian Embassy in Netherlands. "Only Biometric Passports in Circulation." [Accessed 1 June 2015]

_____. N.d.b. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Consular Services." [Accessed 1 June 2015]

_____. N.d.c. Albanian Embassy in Belgium. "Embassy Services." [Accessed 1 June 2015]

_____. N.d.d. Albanian Embassy in Netherlands. "Passports." [Accessed 1 June 2015]

Aleat. 22 July 2014. "The Albanian ID Card and Biometric Passport -our Success Story." [Accessed 27 May 2015]

Balkan Insight. 2 September 2014. "Albania to Issue New Passports to Citizens Born Abroad." [Accessed 27 May 2015]

_____. 9 October 2009. "Albania Issues New Biometric Passport." [Accessed 28 May 2015]

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). 31 May 2010. "Albania: The Journey to Europe." (Factiva)

European Union (EU). 18 April 2015. Council of the European Union. "Document: ALB-AO-02001." [Accessed 26 May 2015]

International Herald Tribune (IHT) [Neuilly Cedex, France]. 28 May 2010. Stephen Castle and Judy Dempsey. "EU Offers to Grow Its Visa-Free Zone; Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania Would Join to Help Stabilize Balkans." (Factiva)

Morpho. 12 November 2012. "Albania: Biometric Identity Wins Popular Approval." [Accessed 26 May 2015]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 8 June 2015]

Top Channel. 8 June 2013. "Albanian Emigrants Can Apply for Passports in London." [Accessed 26 May 2015]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: The following were unable to provide information for this Response: Albania - Embassy in London, Embassy in the Netherlands.

Attempts to contact the following were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response: Albania - Embassy in Ottawa.

Internet sites, including: Albania - Embassy in London, Embassy in the Netherlands, Embassy in Ottawa; ecoi.net; European Commission; Factiva; Organization for Security and Co-opertaion in Europe; United Nations - Refworld; United States - Agency for International Development (USAID), Department of State.

Attachment

European Union. 18 April 2015. Council of the European Union "Document: ALB-AO-02001." [Accessed 26 May 2015]