Belarus has revised the categories of persons required to provide fingerprints and changed the list of state bodies that conduct fingerprinting and are authorized to obtain and use fingerprint data. The Law “On Amendments to Laws on Issues of State Fingerprint Registration” was signed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Under the law, fingerprinting is mandatory for foreign citizens and stateless persons undergoing border control when crossing the state border, as well as for those subject to deportation, expulsion from Belarus, or transfer to a foreign state in accordance with an international readmission agreement.
Fingerprinting is also required for individuals included on lists of persons whose entry into Belarus is prohibited or undesirable, as well as for persons in respect of whom border service authorities have decided to carry out fingerprint registration in the interests of national security.
The right to obtain and use fingerprint information is granted to criminal prosecution bodies, courts, internal affairs bodies, border service authorities, as well as other agencies engaged in operational-search activities.
“The law is aimed at increasing the effectiveness and quality of fingerprint registration and will contribute to the timely identification of risks, challenges, and threats to national security, as well as the neutralization of their internal and external sources,” Lukashenka’s press service said.
