Prime Minister, Their Excellencies Receive NIDS Card

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, enrolled and received his identification (ID) card, under the National Identification System (NIDS), on Friday (November 15).

Their Excellencies, Governor-General, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen and Lady Allen, were the first to receive their NIDS cards at the National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA), located at the Central Sorting Office (CSO) in Kingston, which was officially launched on Friday, November 15.

Also enrolling and collecting their cards were Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon; Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck; and Chairman of the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches, Rev. Courtney Gordon.

A family of three, Patrice Seymour and her daughters, Russania Reno and Romelia Seymour, were also on hand to receive their cards.

Dr. Holness, in a brief address, encouraged all Jamaicans to participate “in this very important chapter in our nation, where every Jamaican can have a secure national ID.”

“The NIDS provides the basis on which we can now claim to be a digital society,” he said.

“We have several identification documents… we have passports, electoral IDs and we have our driver’s licence; but… none of them have the level of security that this card has,” the Prime Minister added.

Highlighting the card’s additional benefits, Dr. Holness said it allows for more expeditious digital transactions to be conducted and in a seamless way, due to the electronic identity verification feature.

For persons opening bank accounts, for example, the instantaneous verification of identification through NIDS eliminates the need for them to present two or more forms of identification, or have their identity confirmed by a Justice of the Peace (JP).

“This card has the ability to verify your identity on the spot. This will reduce, not just the type, but the cost of identity verification,” the Prime Minister pointed out.