The Government plans to buy a new system of issuing visas to foreign nationals capable of incorporating biometric data in an attempt to crack down on fraud and increase security. Jamie Smyth, Technology Reporter, reports.
The new system will replace the existing procedure whereby foreign visitors receive a handwritten visa from an Irish embassy based abroad or from the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin.
This procedure is now considered to be inadequate in light of security concerns following terrorist attacks in the US and Europe.
Biometrics are automated methods of recognising a person from physiological characteristics, such as fingerprints, iris scanning or voice patterns.
The US government recently began to collect fingerprints from Irish people applying for work visas.
A Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said no final decision had yet been taken on whether to incorporate biometric identifiers into Irish visas.
But she said the new system would vastly increase security and make it easier for departments and agencies to co-ordinate their activities to detect fraud. She said the new system would bring Ireland into line with new European regulations, which sought to increase visa security.
The automated system will supply the full range of entry visas to foreign nationals, which enable people to work, study and visit Ireland for various reasons.
It is also likely to dramatically increase the efficiency of the visa issuing process in the Republic.
There has been a significant increase in the number of visas issued to foreign nationals over the past five years. In 1999 just 49,300 visas were issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and this increased to 120,000 in 2003.
By automating the process of issuing visas, the Government may be able to cut the length of time it takes to apply for and receive an Irish-entry visa.
It is not known how much the automated system will cost until a formal tendering process for the contract is completed but it is likely to be several million euro.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has issued an initial request for information for the development of the system. A full tender is expected to follow later.
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