China to take fingerprints of all foreign travellers entering country

Ministry of Public Security says the measure will not delay 'entry and exit' into the country

The Ministry of Public Security announced the new security requirement will rolled out across China over the course of the year (Getty Images)

China is to start fingerprinting foreigners who arrive in the country.

The Ministry of Public Security announced that it would begin screening foreign passport holders who arrive Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport in the Guangdon Province later this week.

It will be rolled it out across the rest of the country by the end of the year.

All foreigners aged between 14 and 70 will be required to leave their fingerprints when entering China apart from people with diplomatic ranks.

“The collecting of fingerprints has become common practice for border control authorities around the world,” the Ministry said in a statement on the government’s English language website. “Authorities will ensure that the new system is efficient and does not result in unnecessary delays”.

More than 76 million foreigners, primarily from South Korea, Japan, the United States and Russia, entered the country last year, according to Chinese figures.

US customs and border protection has fingerprinted most foreign visitors since 2004. The agency said on its website that it is conducting tests of facial recognition software and other biometric screening.

Japan also began fingerprinting all arriving foreigners in 2007 as a public safety measure.