site.btaParliament Approves Introduction of Chipped IDs on First Reading

Parliament Approves Introduction of Chipped IDs on First Reading

Sofia, June 22 (BTA) - The National Assembly approved two government-sponsored bills to amend the Bulgarian Personal Documents Act on first reading Wednesday. One of the bills is aimed to introduce identity documents containing an electronic chip, and the other one proposes counterterrorism measures.

The reasoning for the first bill says that the proposed amendments will create a legal possibility for Bulgarian identity cards to contain electronic identity information and certificates as well as a qualified electronic signature. The bill proposes that an electronic chip be embedded in identity cards and defines how this should be done.

Individuals will have a say about the type of information stored in the electronic chip on their ID. The bill does not require of Bulgarian citizens to take out a chipped ID as soon as the revisions take effect: they will be able to do so when their current ID expires.

The amendments proposed in this bill allow the ID holder to opt for having a secure segment in the electronic chip to carry biometric information. Other revisions are aimed to regulate the embedding of an electronic chip in international travel passports.

The sponsor proposes that the future law enter into effect on January 1, 2018, by which time the Interior Ministry will have the technical means to issue chipped IDs.

The second bill seeks to establish administrative measures to prevent the entry of terrorist suspects into Bulgaria, their transit and exit from the country.

The legislature defeated a third bill tabled by Iliya Iliev (Movement for Rights and Freedoms), which sought to introduce the notion of a "temporary default address" for individuals who have neither a permanent address nor a current address because they live in illegal buildings and cannot produce a valid housing rent agreement to identify themselves.