Genetic Data to Be Collected upon Entry into Russia

New regulations for foreigners entering Russia came into force on November 7. They also apply to Kazakhstan citizens, Orda.kz reports, citing TASS.

The change uses state genomic registration data to identify foreigners and stateless persons.

This amendment was made to the Russian law "On State Genomic Registration." 

Genomic registration is collecting and storing a person's genetic data, such as DNA information. It allows a person to be identified based on a unique set of genetic data.

The law states that the experiments can only be carried out with consent; they are voluntary and free.

Previously, genomic registration in Russia was carried out only to solve crimes, search for missing persons, identify the deceased, and establish family relationships.

Foreign citizens' documents were also translated from Latin to Cyrillic according to uniform standards.

State Duma Chair Vyacheslav Volodin noted that these measures will help reduce the number of errors when registering incoming persons in government systems and prevent the entry of those who have violated Russian laws.

We previously reported that as of December 1, Moscow airports will launch a fingerprinting and photographing procedure for foreigners.

Original Author: Alina Pak