More than 21,000 Guyanese have already enrolled for the National Digital Identification Card (E-ID), with approximately 75 per cent of the cards already issued, as the government pushes ahead with its nationwide electronic identification system.
Data Protection Commissioner, Aneal Giddings, during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Tuesday, said the initiative remains on track to achieve its ambitious target of 200,000 enrolments by the end of 2026.
The digital ID system is designed to improve access to government and private-sector services by allowing citizens and eligible residents to use a single secure identification document to access information and complete transactions more efficiently.
“The intention here is to ensure that every citizen or every card holder is able to conduct their day-to-day lives through government services and other types of services efficiently and quickly,” Commissioner Giddings explained.
He noted that the digital ID card will help streamline public services by securely linking information from multiple agencies, reducing the need for citizens to repeatedly submit documents when conducting transactions.
Using the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) as an example, the commissioner explained that citizens making claims currently have to provide several supporting documents from different agencies.
Under the new system, relevant records could be securely accessed through the digital ID card, significantly reducing processing time.
Since the Digital Identity Card Act came into force on March 31, 2026, the government has expanded enrolment operations across several regions by establishing permanent offices and mobile outreach teams.
Permanent enrolment offices have already been established in Region Four at Campbellville, Region Three at Leonora, Region Five at Fort Wellington, Region Two at Anna Regina, and Region Six at Port Mourant.
The government is also moving to establish offices in Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten as part of efforts to ensure nationwide access.
According to the commissioner, Region Four currently has the highest number of enrolments with more than 12,000 registrations, followed by Region Three with approximately 6,000 and Region Five with more than 2,300.
Mobile registration outreaches have also been conducted in hinterland and riverain communities, including Bartica, Puruni and Lethem, resulting in approximately 500 additional enrolments.
Commissioner Giddings said special arrangements are being implemented to ensure vulnerable groups are not left behind during the rollout.
“We would take that information and we would put in place systems that will enable us to go to them, to get them sorted for the card,” he stated while referring to elderly and shut-in citizens unable to travel to registration offices.
He added that mobile teams continue to work with village leaders and agencies such as the General Registrar’s Office (GRO) to assist persons with obtaining supporting documents required for enrolment.
Citizens applying for the digital ID card are required to provide proof of citizenship, a pictorial form of identification and proof of address.
Supporting documents may include a birth certificate, passport, national identification card, driver’s licence, utility bill or Tax Identification Number (TIN) certificate.
The commissioner clarified that the digital ID card is not intended to replace existing identification documents, such as passports, driver’s licences or the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) identification card at this stage.
He explained that those documents are governed by separate legislation and serve specific functions, including elections and international travel.
Despite the scale of the programme, Commissioner Giddings said the government remains confident that the rollout targets will be achieved. [DPI]
