Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04LJUBLJANA1092
2004-12-07 08:02:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ljubljana
Cable title:  

SLOVENE BIOMETRIC PASSPORT UPDATE

Tags:  CMGT PREL KPAO SI 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS LJUBLJANA 001092 

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

DEPT FOR CA/VO/F/P (DLOPES DA ROSA); EUR/NCE (VTRIMM); EUR/PPD
(ARUPPE, FSCHMADEL); AND ECA/PE/V/R/E (KHAVENNER)
DHS FOR BCBP (CRONIN); USEU FOR POL/PRM (MMEZNAR); ROME AND VIENNA
FOR DHS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CMGT PREL KPAO SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENE BIOMETRIC PASSPORT UPDATE

REFTEL: LJUBLJANA 00877

UNCLAS LJUBLJANA 001092

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

DEPT FOR CA/VO/F/P (DLOPES DA ROSA); EUR/NCE (VTRIMM); EUR/PPD
(ARUPPE, FSCHMADEL); AND ECA/PE/V/R/E (KHAVENNER)
DHS FOR BCBP (CRONIN); USEU FOR POL/PRM (MMEZNAR); ROME AND VIENNA
FOR DHS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CMGT PREL KPAO SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENE BIOMETRIC PASSPORT UPDATE

REFTEL: LJUBLJANA 00877


1. (U) SUMMARY: Slovenia will begin issuing a first-phase
biometric passport containing photo recognition data before
October 26, 2005. A second-phase biometric passport incorporating
both photo recognition and fingerprints will be introduced at a
later date, in compliance with new EU requirements. With the
introduction of the new biometric passport, Slovenia will also
introduce new procedures for delivering passports to their owners.
END SUMMARY.


2. (U) Fresh back from meeting with officials of other EU member
states, Slovene contacts said the EU decision on a uniform
standard for biometric passports has been made and will be
finalized by mid-January 2005. The EU standard will mandate two
biometric identifiers: 1) facial recognition, with a deadline for
implementation of 18 months from the adoption of the standard, and
2) fingerprints, with a deadline for implementation of 36 months
from the date of adoption of the standard.


3. (U) With the EU standard finally set, the Slovene authorities
see a clear road ahead. In a meeting December 3 with Conoff,
State Undersecretaries Bojan Trnovsek of the Ministry of Interior,
and Vlasta Valencic-Pelikan and Andrej Ster of the MFA's Consular
Department, said they expect to have the new Slovene passport
completed by June or July 2005 - within the timeframe they had
predicted earlier (Reftel). They expect to begin issuing the new
passport no later than October 26, 2005.


4. (SBU) Trnovsek said the new passport would feature a contact-
less chip imbedded in the polycarbonate bio-data page. The chip
would be loaded with facial recognition data, biographic data, a
digitized image of the applicant's signature, and all necessary
public infrastructure data. He said Slovenia would need to adopt
a new law on passports consistent with data protection
requirements. He expects the new legislation will be ready to
submit to Parliament by late February or early March.


5. (U) By the October 26, 2005 deadline imposed by U.S. law for
Visa Waiver Program travelers, Slovenia will have transitioned
completely to issuing only the new biometric passports. There
will be no option to apply for a non-biometric passport.
Additionally, Slovenia will change the way passports are delivered
to applicants. Slovene authorities will discontinue delivering
passports to applicants by post. Instead, all applicants will be
required to pick up their passports in person at the
Administrative Unit in their area. At the time of pickup the
authorized official will verify the accuracy of all information
loaded on the chip with the Interior Ministry's centralized
database, and compare the digitized photo image with the applicant
in person. At this time, the applicant too will have the
opportunity to read and verify the accuracy of information loaded
on the chip.


6. (U) Trnovsek said Slovenia is in excellent shape to begin
issuing biometric passports, noting that Slovenia's current photo
standard (600 DPI),which exceeds the ICAO standard (300 DPI),is
sufficient for facial recognition. The digitized signature
currently used in Slovene passports is also suitable for loading
in a chip, and Slovenia already has a centralized database for
passport data.


7. (U) In discussing the challenges of incorporating both facial
recognition and fingerprints in a contact-less chip, Trnovsek and
Ster said that currently chips of sufficient capacity, quality,
and reliability are not available in sufficient numbers and at
reasonable prices. But they said such chips would undoubtedly be
available soon. They also discussed the issue of validity.
Slovene authorities have yet to decide whether their biometric
passport will be valid for 10 years (as is the current passport),
or for less. They said it is unclear whether chips will last for
10 years, or that chip manufacturers will guarantee the
functioning of their products for 10 years.


8. (U) Ster said plans to conduct a pilot study to test the
biometric passport in real world environments have been dropped
(REFTEL). Instead, the passport will be tested under controlled
conditions before its introduction.

ROBERTSON


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