Tuesday, May 15, 2007
New Procedures To Prevent “Forged” Passports
Government
(Al Mada Newspaper AR.) - 13 MAY - General Yasin Al Yasiri, the Chief of Identity Cards, Passports, and Foreign Resident’s Cards, said the issuance of passports will now be centralized - Iraqis can only receive a passport - in Baghdad… and this is in accordance with international (passport control) procedures throughout the entire world.
Al Yasiri added that “extreme measures” will be instituted next month, in order to prevent the “forgery” of “Type-G” Iraqi Passports. He continued: the law states that Iraqi Passports should “first be issued in Baghdad” where there is a database of “wanted” people. Iraq’s embassies abroad do not yet have access to this database.
Al Yasiri also said: my office has not sent any “Type-G” Iraqi Passports to Iraq’s embassies abroad… but, we have sent many (Passport Office) officers and application to the embassies. These applications will be filled out and compiled inside the embassies. (When an embassy has compiled 1,000 completed applications) they will be forwarded to Baghdad via (diplomatic) courier.
Al Yasiri continued: the Cabinet has approved the increasing of the number of “Type-G Passport-making” devices [the government has authorized buying more machinery]. Soon, twenty of these devices will be sent to Iraqi Embassies abroad. In June, some of the devices will be sent to: Kurdistan, Basrah, and Amman (Jordan).
By the end of this year, Iraq will have witnessed “a revolution” in the Passport issuance process. Once the devices are distributed the citizens in other governorates will no longer need to travel to Baghdad. Their completed applications will be forwarded by the Provincial (Governorate) Council, and carried via courier to the (main Passport Office) in Baghdad.
Al Yasiri said: 2,500 Passports are issued daily and 5,000-10,000 passport applications are received daily in Baghdad (this does not include the other governorates). Previously, the Passport office had been issuing between 800 Passports per day. Al Yasiri admitted that there has been corruption in the Passport Office; but, many of the “corrupted people” have either been transferred or fired. Therefore, we have recruited 300 new employees, who recently graduated from universities… but, after three months some of them (the new hires) have started to become corrupt.
Finally, Al Yasiri said: the Type-G Passport is difficult to forge; false Type-G’s are easy to spot; because, there is (a hidden) serial number which only a few technicians know about… and the validity of the Passport can be checked throughout the world via machine (bar-code reader). We are working to emplace more extreme security specifications; we will include [build an electronic database of]: signatures, fingerprints, and photographs.
Al Yasiri added that “extreme measures” will be instituted next month, in order to prevent the “forgery” of “Type-G” Iraqi Passports. He continued: the law states that Iraqi Passports should “first be issued in Baghdad” where there is a database of “wanted” people. Iraq’s embassies abroad do not yet have access to this database.
Al Yasiri also said: my office has not sent any “Type-G” Iraqi Passports to Iraq’s embassies abroad… but, we have sent many (Passport Office) officers and application to the embassies. These applications will be filled out and compiled inside the embassies. (When an embassy has compiled 1,000 completed applications) they will be forwarded to Baghdad via (diplomatic) courier.
Al Yasiri continued: the Cabinet has approved the increasing of the number of “Type-G Passport-making” devices [the government has authorized buying more machinery]. Soon, twenty of these devices will be sent to Iraqi Embassies abroad. In June, some of the devices will be sent to: Kurdistan, Basrah, and Amman (Jordan).
By the end of this year, Iraq will have witnessed “a revolution” in the Passport issuance process. Once the devices are distributed the citizens in other governorates will no longer need to travel to Baghdad. Their completed applications will be forwarded by the Provincial (Governorate) Council, and carried via courier to the (main Passport Office) in Baghdad.
Al Yasiri said: 2,500 Passports are issued daily and 5,000-10,000 passport applications are received daily in Baghdad (this does not include the other governorates). Previously, the Passport office had been issuing between 800 Passports per day. Al Yasiri admitted that there has been corruption in the Passport Office; but, many of the “corrupted people” have either been transferred or fired. Therefore, we have recruited 300 new employees, who recently graduated from universities… but, after three months some of them (the new hires) have started to become corrupt.
Finally, Al Yasiri said: the Type-G Passport is difficult to forge; false Type-G’s are easy to spot; because, there is (a hidden) serial number which only a few technicians know about… and the validity of the Passport can be checked throughout the world via machine (bar-code reader). We are working to emplace more extreme security specifications; we will include [build an electronic database of]: signatures, fingerprints, and photographs.
Labels: forgery, General Yasin Al Yasiri, Type G Passports
