KINGSTON, Jamaica – Governor General Sir Patrick Allen says the associated regulations to govern the National Identification and Registration [NIDS] Act will be passed by the Parliament in time for the first national identification cards to be issued this year.

Sir Patrick, who was delivering the 2022 Throne Speech at Gordon House on Thursday, said this was particularly important as Jamaica celebrates 60 years of independence from Britain.

Allen pointed out that the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of establishing the unique identity of each citizen to provide efficient, timely and targeted services by the Government.

“With the passage of the National Identification and Registration Act, the implementation of the National Identification System is now fully underway. This is a critical milestone in our digital transformation,” Sir Patrick stated.

He pointed out that through the Office of the Prime Minister, the recovery effort from the pandemic will take all hands on deck.

“The government will lead the engagement of all its critical partners to craft a new social partnership for strong recovery and sustainable development,” said Sir Patrick.

The NIDS is described as a unique, reliable and secure way of verifying an individual’s identity. It will establish a reliable database of all Jamaican citizens and will involve the issuance of a unique lifelong National Identification Number [NIN] to every person. In the long term, the NIN may be used alongside a multi-purpose card, or be uploaded onto smart phones.