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Passports could get more expensive
Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa
If the federal government has its way, there will soon be new requirements for passports and ID cards in Germany.
This follows from the government's draft law, which will soon be discussed again in the plenary session of the Bundestag.
In addition to biometric photos, digital fingerprints are to be made mandatory for identity cards in the future; they were previously voluntary.
The fees for passports and ID cards could then increase by six euros each if citizens had their passport photos taken directly in the machines installed on site.
The photo booths in the authorities are to be made available in the future by Bundesdruckerei, private providers will be replaced there.
The federal government estimates additional costs of 171 million euros for the changeover.
Municipalities and the opposition doubt whether the draft law implements the relevant EU requirements in a meaningful way.
"The federal government is destroying a well-functioning system without need," says Green Party politician Konstantin von Notz, a member of the interior committee.
"With the exception of Bundesdruckerei, there are only losers in this reform," said von Notz.
An increase in security, however, is questionable.
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