China is to begin taking fingerprints of all foreign visitors as it steps up its border security, the Ministry of Public Security said yesterday.

Fingerprinting of foreigners is being introduced at Shenzhen airport in the south today, and it will then be gradually rolled out across the country, according to a ministry statement.

All foreign passport holders aged from 14 to 70 will have to give their fingerprints, the ministry said, but it didn’t say if other biometric data would be collected.

The ministry said the move would strengthen immigration controls and increase efficiency.

The United States, Japan and Cambodia, among others, have similar requirements.

While Chinese border posts do not generally have overly onerous entry formalities, most visitors need a visa, though many cities have visa-free deals for visits of a few days as part of efforts to boost tourism.