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On 21 October 2009, the Swiss Federal Council gave the green light to the entry into force on 1 March 2010 of the legal provisions updating the law and the order on ID documents, thus creating the legal background for the definitive introduction of the electronic passport - the "2010 Passport" - in Switzerland.
In a supplementary order, the Federal Council moreover fixed the conditions which will govern the transition from the current passports ("03 Passport" and "06 Passport") to the 2010 Passport.
As an associated Schengen Agreement member state, Switzerland committed to comply with the European Community regulation on ID documents (Council Regulation (EC) No 2252/2004 of 13 December 2004 on standards for security features and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by Member States). Switzerland has to introduce the ePassports by 1 March 2010 at the latest. Such a passport contains an electronic chip including the facial image and two digital fingerprints of its holder, in addition to the personal data of the latter.
A new procedure for the setup of the documents will be put in place at the time of the definitive introduction of the ePassport. The competent commune units in the cantons of residence in Switzerland and the diplomatic and consular representations abroad will be tasked with the entire delivery procedure. The persons wishing to obtain a 2010 Passport will have to go to these offices to have their identity checked and their biometric data captured.
The 2010 Passport for adults will cost CHF 140 (approx. €92) and will be valid for 10 years. Children passports will amount to CHF 60 (approx. €39) and they will have a five-year validity. In case of a simultaneous request for a passport and for an ID card, a combined price will be proposed for both documents in future: CHF 148 for adults (approx. €98) and CHF 68 for children (approx. €45). The ID card will not contain any chip.
The introduction of the 2010 Passport will furthermore require adapting the technical infrastructure, including the IT environment. As a result, for a short timeframe it will not be possible to ask for the 03 and 06 Passports, nor for the 2010 Passports.
In line with the order on the introduction of the 2010 Passport, the requests for the 03 and 06 Passports will have to be made by 15 February 2010 at the latest. Requests for a 2010 Passport will be possible from 24 February 2010 on. However, the visit to the competent offices for the capture of the biometric data cannot take place prior to 1 March 2010. The delivery of temporary passports will be ensured during this transition period.
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