Havana, October 17 (RHC-Xinhua) -- Cuba will roll out new national identity cards as of October 29th, the Juventud Rebelde newspaper reported Thursday.

Citing information released Wednesday by the Interior Ministry, the daily said the new cards, which are more reliable and in keeping with international standards, will be gradually introduced, starting in Havana and then the rest of the country.

The ID cards, valid for 10 years, incorporate advanced technologies to include digital fingerprints, holograms, the bearer's signature and photograph, security patterns and machine readable zones.

Cubans holding current identity cards with updated data and in good condition are not obliged to change into new ones, the ministry said.