Senator urges Bahamas to introduce biometrics for birth registration

A Bahamian senator is calling on the government to consider adopting a biometric system in order to strengthen and secure the country’s birth registration process.

Senator Darren Henfield of the Free National Movement made the call recently during a parliamentary debate on a new electoral legislation, The Tribune reports.

Lawmakers have been examining the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill 2025, which if eventually enacted, will give room for optional biometric voter cards to be used by voters during elections.

A draft copy of the legislation was tabled in parliament towards the end of last month. Canadian Bank Note, a security printing firm, is involved in the biometric voter ID card contract.

Birth registration in the Bahamas doesn’t currently include the collection of biometrics, but Henfield and those who share his views, believe it makes sense to adopt such a system at a time when the country is taking other measures to safeguard important processes in the country.

“It only makes sense that as we seek to eliminate fraud from our voting process, we also address the issue of our birth certificates, which lack biometric features. As a country with so many challenges in this area, it only makes sense,” Henfield said as quoted.

He added that if biometrics can be incorporated into the process of producing voter ID cards and passport, it is also important to have it for birth certificates. Biometrics to be collected for the voter ID include fingerprints and face, including a digital signature.

The legislator cited instances where fraudulent breeder documents like birth certificates are being used to obtain the Bahamian passport, thus prompting the urgency of having additional layers of security tied to birth registration and birth certificate issuance.

The call from the senator is in line with the Bahamian government’s digital transformation efforts which aim to modernize national systems and public services, enhance economic competitiveness within the Caribbean region and beyond, and also drive social and digital inclusion.

The move also aligns with ongoing measures in some countries to introduce infant biometrics for birth registration and child identification processes.

Tanzania, for instance, had planned an infant biometrics registration pilot last month within the framework of its Jamii Number digital ID project. The country says it wants to clearly identify all citizens right from birth.

In an interview with Biometric Update in May, the EVP of U.S. firm Integrated Biometrics, David Gerulski, made the case for infant biometrics registration, saying beyond properly identifying a child, such a system is critical in fighting child swaps and trafficking.

Article Topics

Bahamas  |  biometrics  |  birth registration  |  Caribbean  |  civil registration  |  identity management