Albania to issue bio passports to asylum seekers

TIRANA, Feb. 6 – Interior Ministry reported that authorities would soon start to issue biometric passports for the asylum seekers in the country, boasting of being the first of that kind in the world.
Albanian authorities will soon start issuing such passports to Albanian immigrants, opening four office in Italy and Greece. The minister said they may open in the future other such offices up to the United States.
Lulzim Basha made such statement after meeting with head of the “Aleat” concessionary company that is printing the passports in the country.
He said that some 2.6 million Albanian citizens have been equipped with electronic identity cards and 1.5 million citizens with biometric passports.
The biometric passports played a key role in the process of visa liberalization from the European Union member countries.