Non-EU nationals applying for residency permits in the Netherlands will soon have to supply their fingerprints as well as a photograph to the immigration authorities, if draft legislation becomes law.

The fingerprints will be stored in a central register and can be accessed by police but will primarily be used to combat identity theft and illegal immigration, immigration minister Gerd Leers told MPs in a briefing.
Asylum seekers already have to supply fingerprints when applying for refugee status.