Switzerland launches biometric identity card consultation

CF: biometric identity card, consultation launched Keystone-SDA

The new Swiss biometric identity card should be in circulation by the end of 2026. The Federal Council has put the revision of the relevant ordinances out for consultation until February 28.

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The new identity document, announced last June by the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol), will be equipped with a microchip containing two fingerprints and a facial image, just like the current Swiss biometric passport, the government recalled in a note today.

Obtaining the new card – considered by the authorities to be even more secure against misuse – will remain optional, the government pointed out. Citizens will therefore be free to choose whether to apply for it with or without a microchip, depending on their needs.

For people travelling abroad (even if only within the EU), however, the Federal Council recommends that they opt for the new biometric identity card, while the current one will continue to be sufficient for use exclusively in Switzerland.

The Federal Council emphasises that the new ID card will allow Swiss citizens to continue to travel freely within the EU, where only biometric ID cards have been issued since 2021 for security reasons. Cards without a microchip issued before the introduction of the new model will remain valid until their expiry date, for a maximum of ten years for adults.

The future card will only be able to be issued at the cantonal offices responsible for issuing identity documents and passports, while the amount of the fee will remain unchanged from the current one, the Federal Council explains.

The reform also introduces terminological clarifications, including the replacement of the term ‘provisional passport’ with the term ’emergency passport’, in line with international nomenclature.

Further information and an explanatory video on the two types of identity card can be found at www.passaportosvizzero.chExternal link.

Translated from Italian by DeepL/mga

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