Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday announced that the government will be producing a new high-tech national identification (ID) card, which will allow for ease of business as well as travel through the country’s airports by both nationals and resident non-nationals.
“We have agreed to a contract that will provide a national identification card,” Jagdeo told a press conference on Friday afternoon at the Office of the President.
Jagdeo said the ID card will be developed through a project which is funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.
It would be “secured” and will be used for a “range” of purposes, Jagdeo said, while noting that it will include information such as blood type and TIN number. “The chip can store a lot of the biometric data. Blood type, data for driver’s licence, GRA, your TIN number, etc,” he said.
Additionally, he noted that the new ID card would be separate from the ones issued by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), with residents and non-residents being issued with cards of different colours.
“We are not touching the voters’ identification card, the ones issued by GECOM… It would have legislation next year for a new ID card that will have a chip in it. It will be for nationals and people who are resident in Guyana,” Jagdeo told the media.
According to Jagdeo, the card would be integrated with agencies such as the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). “If you are a foreigner now, you’re coming in to work here and you have a work permit for three years, you will have one of these cards, [a] different colour…..The moment that expires, your three-year work permit, then things start shutting down. You have to go and renew it so we can see who is here in our country,” he explained.
Eventually, he added that the ID cards would be used to process persons returning to the country. “By swiping it at the airport rather than going through customs and immigration. This would also help to secure our security modules. Our biometrics would be there. Banking. A whole range of things,” Jagdeo further stated.
Jagdeo also told the press conference that the government is already working with Abu Dhabi to establish e-visa portals and e-portals at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
“The Cabinet has approved to move fully to an e-visa portal and to put in a number of e-gates. So in the future, hopefully within eight months or a year, it would almost seem paperless coming in through our airport but with a lot of security features, the software, the camera… retinal scan and stuff like that,” Jagdeo disclosed.
“…These would be full electronic passports with a chip. When you go around the world, it’s hard to duplicate, easy for people to travel,” he said.
Hopefully, this would provide Guyanese with “more” visa free access to some countries around the world that require “more” secure documents, Jagdeo said. “We want to make sure that our people…don’t have hassle at the airport or anything,” he noted.
