During the cabinet sessions, the ministers agreed to adopt the biometric IDs in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The difference between the biometric voting card and the biometric ID is that the former can be used only once to vote, while the latter serves as an ID, lasts forever and can be used to complete all administrative transactions, whether for social security, at the financial ministry, to apply for a passport or anything related to personal civil status.
However, the process of issuing these cards cost the same for both and requires also the same time for both.
According to Interior Ministry sources, the first step is to make a biometric ID that contains all the personal information existing on the regular ID, in addition to a program allowing the ID holder to vote only once during an election.
The second step is to implement the decree pertaining to the National Standard Number, which was approved by the cabinet, and which allows the unification of all personal information under one number in order to prevent any issues with similar names.
This means that a citizen will introduce him/herself with his/her standard number not his name at any public administration.
The future step is the e-gate: When a citizen is leaving the country, he/she can use the biometric ID at all General Security checkpoints, and only uses his/her passport at the destination country.
More importantly, the biometric card allows the Lebanese citizens who live away from their hometown to vote in their town of residence.
For more details, watch the full report in the video above