Revamped Resident ID Cards to be Issued from Sunday

The third and final stage of a project to issue new and revamped identity cards for residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain will start from Sunday, 21st June.

The move is in line with directives to streamline government transactions through the deployment of modern technologies aimed at reducing expenditures and improving performance.

The announcement, which was made by Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) Director of Identity and Population Registry, Shaikh Sabah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, follows the first stage of the ID card development project in January of 2019, which was limited to the issuance of new cards for Bahraini newborns, and the second stage in May 2019, which covered other Bahraini nationals.

Shaikh Sabah said that the iGA, through a series of precautionary measures from the end of March to date has processed more than 38,000 ID card-related electronic transactions, which included requests to update data, addresses, birth certificates and marriage and divorce contracts registrations.

Shaikh Sabah confirmed that the revamped ID cards will not come with an increase in issuance fees, nor will its holders have to replace their currently valid cards which will continue to be accepted for all government and private transactions until their expiration dates.

The revamped ID card has a more modern look and a clearer distribution of personal details on its surfaces. They feature larger photos, a new background, more prominently displayed expiration dates, and more space for signatures, as well as a new field for “country flag” and more prominently displayed expiration date. The Smart Card chip reading technology has also been further enhanced for greater security.

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