CARDED AT BIRTH: NIB and Immigration Dept working on national ID card

CARDED AT BIRTH: NIB and Immigration Dept working on national ID card
Minister of Public Service and National Insurance Brensil Rolle. (PHOTO: KEVAL WILLIAMS/EWN)

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The National Insurance Board (NIB) is collaborating with the Department of Immigration to produce a card that will be issued at birth and indicate a person’s nationality, Minister of Public Service and National Insurance Brensil Rolle told Parliament today.

Rolle, the Garden Hills MP, while making his contribution in Parliament to the mid-year budget debate, stated: “What we would like to do is issue a card from birth so that we could follow you from the time you are born in The Bahamas using one identification number and one card.”

Rolle noted that the NIB card has widespread usage in the country.

“What we propose to do is have a card for anyone born in The Bahamas,” he said.

“They will get a card with a unique number. What the card will say is that you are born in The Bahamas. If you are Bahamian, your status will be Bahamian.

“If at the time of your birth we cannot determine whether you are a Bahamian or not, we will just indicate that your status is unknown.

“Collaboration is ongoing with the Department of Immigration. We will not do and cannot do anything that usurps the power and authority of the Department of Immigration.”

Rolle stressed that NIB will not “get into” determining who is a Bahamian after St Anne’s MP Brent Symonette — who formerly had responsibility for the Department of Immigration — cautioned about making pronouncements on a person’s status.

3 comments

In addition to the card at birth, baby has to be finger/foot printed to identify the correct individual. This avoid cjard being passed on

Its about time they came up with the idea of carding u at birth. Therefor you’ll know who really born here or not. Its very important to kno who born in your country

Comments are closed.