New electronic ID cards to make it easier to track foreigners in Guyana – Jagdeo

Within a year, the Guyana Government will be introducing its Single Electronic Identification System through which every Guyanese will be issued an electronic identification card equipped with biometrics.

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said the new ID card will also be issued to foreigners in the country, enabling easier identification and tracking.

“Everyone else who is not Guyanese will have to have a residency card with the same security features with their biometrics too,” he said, noting that the cards will be differentiated by colour for citizens and foreigners.

Without their IDs, foreign residents will be prohibited from opening a bank account and obtaining employment, since employers will be required to ensure they are in possession of this new document.

The Government of Guyana in 2023 signed a US$35.4 million contract with German-based company, Veridos Identity Solutions for the implementation of the national electronic ID.

Jagdeo said that with this new ID card, “at any given moment, we will know of all of the people who are in our country who are not Guyanese and wherever they’re from. We will have their biometrics too so when we put in the 3000-4000 security cameras around the country, we will be able to tell you exactly where they are.”

He was at the time commenting on the influx of Venezuelan migrants into the country, noting that for far too long, it is being peddled that the government is unaware of the magnitude of the presence of Venezuelans in Guyana and potential security threats this poses.

“We are taking this threat seriously,” he noted.

Further, noting that not every detail of what is being done to safeguard the country’s borders can be disclosed, the VP echoed the sentiments of the Chief of Defence Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Brigadier Omar Khan that a humanitarian approach is also needed.

“I can assure you that this is being done and we take the presence of the migrants in Guyana seriously but we also want to be compassionate too because at various times in our history, our people sought economic refuge in Venezuela and Suriname,” he explained.

Jagdeo added that “What we are doing now with the national ID cards will give us a greater tool to manage the presence foreigners in our country in a very clear and methodical way.”

He also explained that while some people will be singled-out for looking Venezuelan, they may have Guyanese heritage. According to the Constitution of Guyana, these persons can be given citizenship based on their parents or grandparents being Guyanese.