ADMISION OF THE DEMAD FOR THE NEW PASSPORTS STARTS JULY 7 - THE TOTAL EXPENSES 2.170 DINARS

The admission of the demand for obtaining the new, biometric, passports will start on July the 7th, and in the Diplomatic Missions and Consular Sections abroad from October 1, was said at the Press Conference in the Government Palace of Serbia.

Mr Bozidar Djelic, the Vice President of the Government of Serbia said that all the citizens could apply at the same time and at the same place for obtaining the new version of the passport as well as for the new identity card, mentioning that all the passports already in usage will be expired at the end of this year, and for those citizens that are living abroad at the end of the next year.

The deadline for issuing the new passport is 30 days from the admission date and 60 days for those who apply in Diplomatic Missions and Consulate Sections abroad. The price for issuing the passport is 2.000 diners VAT included, plus 170 din Republic tax in the country and 15 € abroad and the expiration time is 10 years.

Mr Djelic also said that 204 biometric passports have been issued until now and the reason why we need the biometric passports is one of the conditions for Serbian citizens to enter to “White Schengen List” that will enable the citizens of Serbia to travel without visas to European Union countries.

The State Secretary in the Ministry of Interior Affairs, Ms. Mirjana Orasanin said that all the demands are supposed to be submitted according to the residence of each citizen, and together with the application form all applicants have to submit the birth certificate and the citizenship approval, all document not older than 6 months together with photo 5x5 cm with white background.

The citizens are supposed to submit the old passport, identity card and the tax payment approval just on insight. Ms. Orasanin mentioned that all the offices for issuing the documents have to be opened from 8,00 h to 20,00 h and it was said as the answer to the journalist’s objection that in the municipality Stari Grad the working hours of these services are from 08,00 h to 16,00 h and in the municipality New Belgrade to 15,00 h only.

Mr. Djelic announced that the first number of passports will be issued in August, because all the obstacles that the Money Publishing Directorate had with financing of this process and with the procurement of all the necessary materials, have been solved.

It was mentioned that 65.000 demands have been already submitted for the new identity cards, 45.000 identity cards have been issued, but having in mind the fact that the previous ones are still valid until 2011.