The officers of Sverdlovsk Region’s division of the Federal Migration Service started accepting the regional dwellers’ applications for the new generation international passports in March 2008. Their office was fitted with four booths meant for taking photographs of applicants and accepting and processing their application forms. Only 206 people applied for these new passports in March 2008, yet the figure has soared to 2,027 people by now, and the number of applicants keeps growing. For the time being, the new passports can only be obtained at the Service’s Yekaterinburg headquarters at 2 Krylov St. Alongside with processing applications for the new generation passports, the Service deals in the old format international passports as well. The two passports have equal legal validity until they expire, while the new generation international passports are expected to gradually replace the older ones.

In case one applies for the international passport right in the place where one lives, the waiting period normally comes to no more than a month. Nevertheless, there have been some delays due to lack of blank forms (which was not the Service’s fault) or the executive authorities’ procrastinating and taking their time when replying to the Service’s queries regarding the applicants.

In the meantime, the new generation passports are printed by Goznak, which means there can be no shortage of blank forms.