New digital ID cards to help gov’t track foreigners in Guyana

Guyana is implementing a new biometric electronic identification system, a venture that the country’s Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, said will help the government track foreigners who are in the country.

“Everyone else who is not Guyanese will have to have a residency card with the same security features with their biometrics too,” Jagdeo said during his Thursday press conference.

The new system involves the issuance of electronic ID cards. In 2023, the government inked a US$34.5 million contract with Veridos, a German-based provider of integrated identity solutions, to implement the system.

Jagdeo acknowledged that the project has been delayed, explaining that integrating the e-ID card system with the passport database has taken more time than expected. Nevertheless, the project should be completed within the next 12 months.

The system, once fully implemented, will also help the government with its issuance of work permits and other necessary documentation for resident identification.

The focus on using this system to help track foreigners comes amid concerns over increasing migration, particularly from Venezuela.

Jagdeo addressed this, stating, “At any given moment, we will know of all of the people who are in our country who are not Guyanese and wherever they’re from. We will have their biometrics too so when we put in the 3,000–4,000 security cameras around the country, we will be able to tell you exactly where they are.”

However, Jagdeo emphasised that ehile security is a top concern, compassion remains essential.

“We also want to be compassionate, too because at various times in our history, our people sought economic refuge in Venezuela and Suriname,” he said.

He reaffirmed that Venezuelans with Guyanese heritage would not be penalised under the new system. “That’s the Constitution of Guyana. The PPP can’t change that, APNU can’t change that. That’s in our supreme law,” he said.

The ID system will also be used to control access to employment and financial services.

“There would be a prohibition on your opening a bank account without that card. Employers here would have to ensure that people have that card,” he stated.

The electronic ID initiative is part of a broader modernisation push to digitise national services, enhance border control, and improve transparency in public administration.