Bulgaria will introduce new identity cards that will contain biometric data allowing passage through electronic gates at the EU airports, Deputy Interior Minister Krasimir Tsipov has said.

The new ID cards will also include an electronic identification option. It will serve as an electronic signature, allowing Bulgarian citizens to access online services offered by the state, Tsipov said at a news conference in Sofia on Monday.

The government decided in November to switch to a centralized system of issuing identity documents (ID cards, driving licences and passports) to boost security and cut costs. The present de-centralised system of personalization of Bulgarian ID documents operated by the Interior Ministry at 30 sites across the country will expire at the end of 2016.

The switchover is expected to cost BGN 480 M (EUR 240 M), VAT excluded, Tsipov said. The procurement contract will have duration of 11 years 2 months.

The introduction of a centralized system for electronic identification will be financed from the Operational Programme Good Governance and the Internal Security Fund of the European Union.

The centralized system is expected to start functioning in late 2017 or early 2018. People won’t be required to replace their present ID cards before the expiry date, Tsipov said.