The Portuguese Parliament (AR) approved, this Wednesday, the new Civil Identification and National Identity Card Law. With this, these documents now include new features.

Thus, to the Identity Card (BI) will be added an integrated data storage circuit, an optical reading area. And, according to the Law, these new security mechanisms must cover the holder's entire life cycle, becoming a Unique Civil Identification Number, which will integrate, among others, the Civil Registry, Tax and Social Security Identification Number.

According to the Interior Minister, Arsénia Massingue, quoted by the newspaper Notícias, the idea is to adjust the legal diplomas that deal with the matter, existing since 1950, when Mozambique was still an overseas province of Portugal.

Besides this, the aim of the changes is to update the Decree 11/2008, of April 29, which introduces the BI based on biometric elements that can ensure greater security and reliability to the document.

The proposal submitted to the AR by the Government, through the Ministry of the Interior was considered by the commissions of Constitutional Affairs, Human Rights, and Legality; Defense; Security and Public Order; and Social Gender, Technology, and Social Communication Affairs, which issued opinions favorable to approval.

Our source does not give a date for the start of BI's with new features.