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Russian Interior Ministry to cancel paper passports when issuing digital IDs

According to the ministry, Russian nationals over the age of 14 will be able to receive digital passports on a voluntary basis

MOSCOW, January 2. /TASS/. Russia’s Interior Ministry will cancel paper passports when issuing digital IDs to the country’s citizens, a ministry spokesperson said in response to a TASS question.

"No citizen can hold two valid passports at a time. Paper passports issued earlier will be canceled when people will receive documents containing digital data," the spokesperson said.

According to the ministry, Russian nationals over the age of 14 will be able to receive digital passports on a voluntary basis. The government has yet to determine the issuance procedure and choose the regions where the project will be implemented first.

Head of the Interior Ministry’s Main Directorate for Migration Issues Valentina Kazakova earlier announced plans to issue digital passports to Russian citizens starting in January 2023. According to estimates, at least 100,000 digital passports will be issued in the first phase.

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