06/02/2023
63141 times read
06/02/2023
63141 times read
KUWAIT CITY, Feb 6: Despite the various excuses being given, there is no change in the continued delay of the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) in issuing civil cards for expatriates, as this is being limited to only Kuwaiti citizens and children under 5 years, despite PACI collecting issuance fees of KD 5, reports Al-Rai daily. In the context of digital transformation, the authority seeks to fully rely on the digital civil card (my identity), but the problem is that there are some parties inside and outside Kuwait that do not count on the digital form of the civil ID and do not accept it in official transactions.
With the use of “My ID” app for travel and most government transactions, most of the complaints of the residents are focused on specific cases, which are
1. Some foreign embassies require the original civil ID when submitting the visa. They used to rely on the residency sticker in the passport, but this process has now been canceled.
2. Some private schools require copies of the civil ID cards of the student, his/her father and mother in order to accept the student in the school or when submitting his/her academic certificate.
3. Those who obtain residency for the first time are asked for the serial number on the card so that they can download the “My Identity” on their mobile phone. However, this number is not issued until the card is issued for the first time. This renders new residents not to carry any valid identification document.
4. During the inspection campaigns of the security authorities, especially in the places where the expatriates are, the police officers ask for the civil card to prove the legal status. Sometimes, an expatriate worker may not have a smartphone or his phone may have a problem or the screen may not be clear. This leads to unnecessary inconvenience.
5. Some government agencies outside Kuwait do not consider “My identity” as valid, and require the resident to show the original civil card in order to prove that he is a resident of Kuwait, especially since there is no residency sticker on his passport.
In light of the delay in issuing cards for a period of up to eight months, many expatriates hope that necessary measures will be taken to speed up the issuance, and the situation will return to what it was prior to the COVID-19 time when the civil ID card used to be issued within a few days after requesting its renewal.