Starting today, China will begin registering the fingerprints of foreigners entering the country. The Ministry of Public Security made the announcement yesterday, reports China Daily.
The new system will be piloted by border control authorities at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and some other ports of entry starting Friday, before being gradually rolled out across the country by the end of this year, according to the ministry.
All foreigners, between the age of 14-70, are required to leave their fingerprints when entering China, but foreign diplomats will be exempted, the announcement said. The ministry said that collecting fingerprints has become common practice for border control authorities around the world, adding that the move will step up exit and entry management.
With inputs from ANI.