Robert Gomes who lives in Brazil is angry. Very angry. The introduction of the fingerprints in passports (biometrics) means in the future he will have to travel to Brasilia (2200 kilometres away), Rio de Janeiro (2400 kilometres), or Sao Paulo (2500 kilometres). A round trip will take four days and cost him around 1750 euros in travel costs and accommodation. And then he has to do the whole trip over again because he will have pick up the new passport in person.

Is there no other way?
Up to now he was able to apply for a passport at the Dutch Consulate in Recife, just 140 kilometres from his home. But it is no longer permitted to issue passports. Mr Gomes wonders whether there was no another way and he is certainly not the only one. Radio Netherlands Worldwide received numerous reactions to an earlier story about the introduction of fingerprints in passports.

Dozens of consulates
The Interior Ministry is responsible for introducing the measure, which has been agreed by European Union countries to make passports more secure. But the Foreign Ministry decides over Dutch embassies and honorary consulates (HCs) abroad. Christoph Prommersberger, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, told Radio Netherlands that ‘'dozens of consulates'' will no longer be allowed to issue passports after biometrics have been introduced.

Expensive equipment
The reason that has been given is that it would cost too much to buy the expensive equipment required for all the HCs and because not all the consulates are able to provide the extra security needed. Mr Prommersberger says:

"It’s true that the Foreign Ministry pays for the equipment, but it then needs to be connected to a new network. A separate connection box has to be installed in the consulates, which requires extra security. In addition to the physical requirements, major building work is needed in some places. And people have to be trained to use the new equipment, which all costs money.''

Cuts
He resolutely dismisses the idea that fingerprinting has been introduced as a result of cuts.

''It is a measure introduced within the European Union. We are implementing it, and trying to retain the level of service to Dutch nationals as much as possible. There will be consulates which will not be able to issue passports in the future and that is very annoying for those affected. But in the end more consulates will remain opened than will be closed.''

Nonsense
Maarten Hemmes in Florence thinks it’s a nonsense to say consulates will remain open if they no longer issue passports. The chairperson of a Dutch association is outraged, as ‘'consulates will close on the quiet anyway after a while. Consulates are run on the money they earn from issuing passports. If that stops, it will only cost money to keep a consulate open and that is a good argument for closing them. And that will have consequences for the hundreds of thousands of Dutch tourists who come here every year.''

Dutch holiday-makers lose out
"Nobody in The Hague has thought about that, but Dutch holiday-makers who need help come to the consulate every day, if they have been robbed, or someone has had to go into hospital, or for whatever reason. If all those Dutch tourists have nowhere to turn for help because the consulates are closed, I would be deeply ashamed if I were a politician.''

Far-reaching consequences
Christoph Prommersberger dismisses Maarten Hemmes’ words. ''Services for Dutch holiday-makers will remain the same.''

More information on the changes is available on the Foreign Ministry’s website in Dutch (www.minbuza.nl).

In the questions and answers section on the abovementioned website it states that the introduction of biometrics is not a cost-cutting measure. In fact it is the opposite. Mr Prommersberger says it is not true that people always have to pick up their passports in person. There are exceptions to the rule.

''We try to help people who have to travel for days to apply for a new passport as much as possible, but we won’t be able to save them from travelling altogether.''