The Department of Registration of Persons has introduced an emergency National Identity Card (NIC) service instead of the one-day ID card service which was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The one-day ID card service was temporarily halted on March 16, 2020. According to the Department of Registration of Persons they will continue the suspension as the arrangement is not conducive to the present health precautions taken against the spread of the Coronavirus.
However, the Department, in a statement yesterday (13) observed that an emergency service is launched through Divisional Secretariats for the persons who require IDs for passports, examinations, interviews, driving license and similar important purposes.
According to the procedure of the new emergency service, any individuals who seek a new ID must get the ID card application approved by the respective Grama Niladhari Officer and submit it to the Local Divisional Secretariat. The Divisional Secretariat’s ID division will then upload the applicant’s data into the system of Department for Registration of Persons. The relevant ID card will then be processed and posted to the applicant through Registered Post. All post offices are working normally now so the applicants will get their new ID cards without any delay.
In addition to that, the Department advised persons who have prepared documents before March 16 for the one-day ID service, to immediately submit the said documents to the Identity Card Division of their respective Divisional Secretariats. Those who want to apply for IDs using the general service are expected to send their documents via the respective Grama Niladharis to the Department.
The Department has also requested students who will be sitting for GCE Ordinary Level Examination this year to submit applications as soon as possible to the respective Divisional Secretariats, provincial offices or the Department for Registration of Persons as the ID is essential for the examination.
Earlier, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had instructed the relevant departments to expedite the launch of the Biometric Digital National ID cards without any undue delay. The new unique Digital Identity Card will have accurate details of every citizen as expected by different Government departments which are governed by different legal provisions. These departments can have access to these details online. Biometric details of every citizen required for obtaining a passport, driving license, pension, Samurdhi benefits and paying taxes will be fed to this unique Digital Identity Card, which can be read by scanning machines and online by the relevant agencies.