Turkey to collect biometric data from foreigners

Tengrinews.kz - Turkey is preparing to implement a new border security measure that will involve collecting fingerprints from foreign visitors entering the country.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya revealed this initiative in an interview with Daily Sabah. The project, currently under development, will require all visitors to provide their fingerprints upon entry. While the minister did not specify when this measure will be implemented, he emphasized that work on the project is progressing rapidly.

Additionally, Yerlikaya announced that Turkey will start issuing new biometric ID cards for those granted temporary protection status in the country, primarily affecting Syrian citizens residing in Turkey. He stressed that these new documents will be tamper-proof and that production has already begun.

According to official data from the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs, 4.4 million foreigners currently reside in Turkey, including 3.1 million Syrian citizens. However, unofficial estimates suggest the actual number of foreigners in the country, particularly migrants from the Middle East, could be significantly higher.

These plans are being developed as the neighboring European Union prepares to launch a comprehensive biometric entry/exit system to safeguard the Schengen Area of free movement. While Turkey is not a member of the EU, it has been a candidate for EU membership since 1999 and began official accession talks in 2005.

Turkey continues to bolster its border security measures. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is actively working on creating mobile migration units to expedite the document verification process for illegal migrants. As part of these efforts, authorities have checked the IDs of over 1.1 million people and identified 126,766 illegal migrants.

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