Manama: Airline passengers to Kuwait are to face routine fingerprinting starting Monday following the installation of scanners at the airport.
The move is one more option to tighten control at the border and ensure the identification and apprehension of visitors who may be involved in illegal activities in the Gulf state, local daily Al Rai reported.
The database of all visitors requiring visas, either before their departure for Kuwait or upon their arrival in the state, will allow the security authorities to identify anyone who might have changed details on his passport to evade arrest, security sources told the newspaper.
They added that up to the application of the new measures, the interior ministry faced challenges dealing with illegal visitors.
Kuwait is home to around 2.2 million foreigners, making up two thirds of the total population.
The expatriates are mainly unskilled Asian labourers working in the construction and service sectors, and domestic helpers, including drivers.
Some of the foreigners who are deported for breaking the law attempt to return under fake passports. The use of scanners and the fingerprinting database will help prevent the use of forged travel documents.
