At a press conference held today, Norayr Mouratkhanyan, who heads the Police Department's Division of Passports and Visas, stated that as of January 1, 2009, national ID cards would be put into circulation in Armenia in addition to new passports in which the physical features of the bearer would be noted. Mr. Mouratkhanyan added that passports now in circulation would still be vaild until their expiration dates and that the new identity cards would be for domestic use only.