National e-ID Card To Be Used As International Passport

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is canvassing the use of the new National e-ID Card, as a valid travel document, as an alternative to the international passport for certain types of travel.

The new national electronic ID card issued to Nigerians on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a bonafide Machine Readable Travel Document (MRTD), recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the commission noted.

One of the 13 applets imbedded on the card has similar content usually found in Nigeria’s e-passport and it is known as ICAO Applet, so, it could easily be used as a travel document subject to approval of the international community.

The Head, Card Management Services at NIMC, Tunji Durodola, explained that the back of the NIMC e-ID Card contains three lines, called Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) lines, just like the passport and the same as other National identity cards that had ICAO support. Its development was as a result of NIMC’s conformity to the ICAO Document 9303 parts one and two.

“The National Identity Card is also a travel document and conforms to the same standards (ICAO 9303 Rev 2) as International Passports and National Identity Cards of other nations which have TD1 functionality built in. It is hoped that the document will be used for ECOWAS travel (without the need for a Passport), as the data on the chip cannot be forged. NIMC has its own Document Signer (DS), a significant component of the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria . So we are not sending document signing objects outside Nigeria to be digitally signed for this applet. It is done in a very secure environment in Nigeria and is most certainly not open to inspection or access by any authority, body or nation in the world.

“The National e-ID Card also has support for e-Visas whenever they become acceptable worldwide in the foreseeable future. Quite a bit of work needs to be done at diplomatic levels such as the United Nations, before any country will accept or start to issue electronic Visas on National Identity Cards. But whenever they are ready, so will the Nigerian National eID Card.” Durodola said.