National e-ID Card May Be Used As Travel Visa

The National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, is pushing for the use of the new national e-Identity card as travel document. One of the applets fixed in the card has all the travel details and requirements contained in Nigeria’s e-passport. Known as Travel Applet, it could easily be used as travel document with the approval of the international community.

Tunji Durodola, Head, Card Management Services, NIMC, said that the back of the NIMC e-ID Card contains three lines called MRZ Lines, Machine Readable Zone, just like the Passport. “The NIMC e-ID Card has support for e-Visas when they become acceptable worldwide,” he said.

Durodola explained that For other countries to recognise the use of the e-ID card as a Visa, its usage must be included in the bilateral agreement among countries that partner with Nigeria and this agreement must be recognised by the countries’ immigration and such countries must have inspection devices.

He further stated that the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO; supports the use of electronic visas, e-Visas, as travel document but with specification that merges with ICAO recommendation.

However for this to work NIMC and the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, must work things out in agreement. Also, it is not certain that other countries would be willing to work with Nigeria, which seems to be ahead of many other countries on the e-ID card programme.