Bern, Switzerland (romandie/ats, Fre) – Swiss citizens, like their Schengen agreement counterparts in the European Union, will have passports with biometric data and digital prints  in 2009, when the country will stop issuing simpler, non-digital passports.

The new ones will cost CHF140. The lower house of Parliament Thursday voted to follow the lead of the upper house in agreeing to end the simpler passports. Refugees’ cards will also be biometric, digital.