Portugal announces new biometric ID card, card issuance ongoing in Syria

Portuguese officials say a newly designed citizen ID card with advanced security features will be rolled out this year. In northern Syria, meanwhile, residents who are under the control of the Salvation Government, some of them internally displaced persons, have been receiving personal identity cards for the past three months. India too says it is looking forward to expanding the use of the national biometric ID in order Aadhaar to improve the ‘ease of living’ of its holders.

Portugal’s new contactless ID card coming soon

The Secretary of State for digitization and Administrative modernization Mário Campolargo is quoted as saying in a recent interview that the new cards, which will be available by the middle of this year, will have a modern design and new security features, reports The Portugal News.

Another innovation, according to the official, is that the card will be contactless as is the case with debit cards recently introduced in the country. This means a card reader will not be needed to verify data on the card.

The plan to introduce the new card is part of efforts to facilitate the way citizens have access to public services, many of which be obtained digitally using the card.

EU countries are in the process of transitioning to chip-enabled ID cards storing biometric data.

Over 71K cards produced for residents in Northern Syria

Since September 2022, a total of 71,344 ID cards have been printed for people living in Northern Syria, writes Enab Baladi.

Of this number, 53,881 have already been handed to their owners, according to figures attributed to the general director of the Directorate of Civil Affairs in the Salvation Government, Abdullah Abdullah.

The distribution has been taking place in ten regions, with special centers for men and women. The ID card costs $2.5 and is issued only to the civilian population of the area for the time being, to enable them carry out their daily transactions, the outlet indicates.

This development has come as a sigh of relief for some internally displaced persons who hitherto had ID cards which were not affiliated to any official government entity. They are reportedly happy they can now have cards which are affiliated to the Salvation Government, with which they can obtain services much easily.

Article Topics

biometric cards  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital ID cards  |  identity document  |  Portugal  |  Syria