Off the wire
• Sweden extends border controls, calls for stricter EU checks  • OECD warns of negative impact of Brexit on EU, UK economies  • 1.4 bln USD transformation of Manchester Airport cleared for take-off  • Urgent: Passenger plane's landing gear collapses at Mumbai airport, passengers safe  • Attackers open fire at police car in Istanbul, no casualties  • Spanish stock market rises 0.03 pct, closes at 8,767 points  • U.S. army chief stresses importance of alliance with Israel amid regional instability  • Chinese investments to boost Africa's manufacturing capacity: expert  • On World Wildlife Day, UN chief calls for protection of most iconic species  • Ghana remains 41st position on FIFA world ranking  
You are here: 　 Home

Sweden tightens passport routines to fight fraud

Xinhua, March 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Swedish government on Thursday imposed limits on passport issuances in a bid to step up its efforts against fraud.

Swedes will no longer be able to claim an unlimited number of new passports in case of loss and instead face a general cap of three new documents per five years, the government said in a statement.

"The changes will reduce the number of Swedish passports that can be used for criminal actions," Interior Minister Anders Ygeman said.

"Too many Swedish passports are disappearing even though their period of validity has not expired," he added.

An investigation by daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter in 2014 found that a Swedish passport can be sold for up to 80,000 SEK (9,400 U.S. dollars) on the black market. At that time, more than 150,000 passports had gone missing over the previous two years.

Thursday's rule changes mean that Swedish citizens who are issued temporary passports will in future have their ordinary documents recalled and blocked, the government said. Children will have to renew their passports every three years instead of every five.

The rules will come into force in mid-April. (1 U.S. dollar = 8.54 SEK) Endit