Biometric passports in Armenia to become effective from June1.

The passports with biometric data will become effective this June, according to Hovhannes Kocharyan, the head of the Passports and Visa Department of the Police.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kocharyan said that citizens can chose to have the new identity document at their own discretion as the personal identification cards expected to go into use beginning next month will replace the passports.

“The biometric passports will be effective in Yerevan, Vanadzor and Gyumri beginning June 1. We cannot apply the system to the whole country for now as it is very expensive,” he said.

Kocharyan added that the biometric passports will not be mandatory for all.

“We are not obliging our citizens to acquire the passports; it’s a voluntary process. The only thing to say is that obtaining a visa to Europe will be difficult without a biometric passport and an ID card,” he said.

Kocharyan added that citizens will not have to submit their old passports to obtain a new one. He noted further that ID cards alone will cost 3,000 Drams (about $ 8), while the price for passports will be 25,000 Drams (about $62).