Jamaica plans biometric ID card issuance pilot, Pakistan and Vietnam upgrade systems

Jamaica has announced that it will begin issuing national ID cards through the National Identification System (NIDS) as from the second quarter of this year on a trial basis. In Pakistan, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has opened up new centers to facilitate digital ID registration for citizens. In neighboring India, authorities recently introduced a version of the Aadhaar card for children and have been explaining the procedure and requirements needed to secure the document. Vietnamese ID card-holders can perform biometric authentication through an ABIS provided by NEC Asia Pacific for access to services, and Norway is expanding its ID card coverage to foreign residents.

ID card issuance pilot expected in Jamaica

The Star in a report quotes Hon. Floyd Green, a minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, as saying during a meeting with the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives that the NIDS digital ID card issuance pilot will target the capital Kingston and St Andrew.

Green says in a bid to maximize the available resources, biometric enrollment centers will be set up in post offices in collaboration with the Department of Post and Telecommunications.

After the pilot, the government will then embark on a full-scale nationwide rollout in a process that will also see the participation of the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) and the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ), he adds.

The Star notes that the NIDS seeks to put in place a secure and comprehensive ID facility that will issue tools for easy verification of citizens’ identity as well as enable access to a number of government services.

The meeting with the Standing Finance Committee was also to discuss issues around the estimated budget for the project, the report states.

Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen had said last month during a parliamentary session that the government hopes to introduce the ID cards when the country celebrates its 60th independence anniversary. The 60th anniversary will be celebrated in August, 2022.

NADRA hailed for setting up 88 new centers

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has lauded NADRA for the creation of 88 new centers to facilitate digital ID registration including in places where such centers never existed, reports Pak Observer.

The outlet alludes to a tweet of the PM in which he wrote that “To facilitate our citizens, NADRA has expanded its outreach by opening 88 new registration centres including in tehsils where no centre existed before.”

The PM also mention all the communities where the new centers have been created and the number of centers in each of them.

The report indicates that the PM last year also inaugurated a mobile application (PAK-ID Mobile App) introduced by NADRA to facilitate registration especially for Pakistanis living out of the country.

NADRA recently launched a centralized platform through which users can file complaints from anywhere in the world.

Registering children for the Baal Aadhaar card

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) recently announced that children, including newborns, can be registered into the Aadhaar system for the issuance of a special version of the card called Baal Aadhaar card, according to Good Returns.

The Baal Aadhaar card is the digital ID card issued to children below the age of five.

As explained in the report, parents have been encouraged to take along their children to Aadhaar registration centers to get them issued an Aadhaar number.

The report indicates that children below the age of five are registered without the capture of their biometrics, but those from five and above have their fingerprints, iris and face biometrics enrolled.

Parents are advised to present a copy of the child’s birth certificate or a discharge slip from a government hospital, the Aadhaar card of one of the parents, a phone number and evidence of address before the child can be registered, Good Returns notes.

The registration can be done online and offline.

IUDAI will then send an SMS to the phone number within 60 days to inform if the Baal Aadhaar card is already available.

Vietnam selects NEC ABIS

NEC Asia Pacific says it has completed the modernization of Vietnam’s national ID system with the selection of NEC’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).

The biometric system upgrades Vietnam’s national digital ID system, allowing easy and secure identity verification with digital ID cards, according to the announcement. Over 50 million chip-based ID cards with technology supplied by Infineon and MK Smart have been issued by Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security since last July.

NEC says the multimodal biometric system is scalable and expandable, and provides a more secure and standardized authentication process for fraud prevention.

“NEC is proud to play a part in supporting Vietnam’s digital transformation efforts with the modernization of the country’s national ID,” comments NEC Executive Vice President Masakazu Yamashina. “Our industry-leading biometric and AI-based solutions have also been deployed widely in areas including border controls and aviation seamless travel programs internationally, and we will continue our innovation to further contribute to Vietnam’s digital transformation and drive their growth.”

The country also released draft guidelines for digital ID and biometric authentication last year.

Norway ID cards to cover foreign residents

Norway is planning to expand its biometric national ID card system to include foreign nationals as the country moves towards a more unified use of the credential.

An announcement from Norway’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security states that the proposal to allow foreign nationals holding residence permits or rights of residency for over three months to receive national ID cards has been submitted for consultation.

The biometric cards allow bearers to travel throughout the European Economic Area.

The consultation is scheduled to end by June 3, 2022.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital ID cards  |  identity management  |  India  |  Jamaica  |  national ID  |  National Identification System (NIDS)  |  NEC Asia Pacific  |  Norway  |  Pakistan  |  Vietnam