Details of Guyana’s biometric digital ID cards, Veridos $35.4M contract amount revealed

Guyana’s government is advancing legislation to back a biometric national digital ID card initiative, which spells out how the system will work.

Veridos was selected as the supplier for the project in March, and the Guyana Times has revealed the contract is worth $35.4 million.

The Digital Identity Card Bill would establish the basis for a civil registry of identity data for citizens from 14 years of age, along with non-citizens. The registry will be administered by Guyana’s Data Protection Commissioner. The cards will be considered legal proof of identity for public and private sector interactions, both in person and online. They are also intended for travel.

Cards for foreigners would be used in work permit issuance.

The country’s chief medical officer and police commissioner will be responsible for submitting regular record of deaths so the registry can be updated. The Data Protection Commissioner will have the option of setting up one or more fixed-location or mobile centers for data collection and card distribution in each region of Guyana.

The digital ID cards will contain the bearer’s name, date and place of birth, unique identification number, sex and citizenship. It will also include a facial image and fingerprint data for biometric matching, and a signature. The cards will also comply with the relevant ISO/IEC standards, according to the bill.

One of the goals of the project, as stated in the legislation, is the facilitation of electronic governance and enhanced government service delivery.

The bill also sets out penalties for submitting false information and fraudulent use of the ID cards.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  government purchasing  |  Guyana  |  legislation  |  national ID  |  Veridos