Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation Ministry, Zulfikar Ally, has rejected misinformation being peddled about the electronic identification card initiative, emphasising that the digital document is intended to improve citizens’ quality of life and access to public services. Speaking during the commissioning of the Government Service Centre in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Ally dismissed claims that the initiative is intended to give the Government access to citizens’ private information to control them, calling the allegations “nonsensical.”
“Sometimes I really don’t know how to answer that because it is so nonsensical…when you come to get the e-ID card, we ask you for some very basic documents, we ask you for your birth certificate, an original copy…and do you know who gives you your birth certificate? The Government through the GRO (General Registrar Office). We ask you for a proof of ID, you can either come with your passport or your GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission) ID. You know who give you your passport or your GECOM ID? The Government. The next thing we ask you for is a proof of address, either a letter or you can bring your TIN certificate that has your address on it and who gives you that? The Government. So, at what point in time is the Government trying to get your information?” the Minister posited.
“…we’re not trying to get anything from you, what we’re trying to do is to ensure you live a life of comfort, that the service that you demand and you need, that the service that you deserve, that we will make it a lot simpler for you,” he emphasised.
The Minister further explained the citizens equipped with an e-ID card would enjoy seamless access to public services, since all of their important documents are easily stored in one place. He also highlighted that citizens can utilise the e-ID cards for easy travel to Barbados. Effective July 1, Guyana and Barbados began the use of e-IDs for travel between the two countries, allowing eligible Guyanese and Barbadian citizens to travel seamlessly without their passports.
The Guyana Government is currently in talks with other countries in the region to establish a similar arrangement. As of July, over 31,000 persons already registered for the e-ID card. Persons can register for cards at any of the Government Service Centres. Additionally, a centre is available at the Region Four Main Office at 37 Craig Street, Campbellville, Georgetown. Data Protection Commissioner Aneal Giddings told the Department of Public Information (DPI) in May that the Government is hoping to have 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.
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. Giddings has assured that the digital ID card is not intended to replace existing identification documents, such as passports, driver’s licences or the GECOM identification card at this stage. Vice President (VP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo had previously explained that the e-ID card will also be issued to foreigners in the country, enabling easier identification and tracking.
In fact, he had noted that without their e-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. Jagdeo had explained in June 2025 that with this new e-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.”
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 e-ID card initiative.
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