The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) recently announced the launch of a multipurpose National ID card that can serve the purpose of identity verification, payments, and even government services.
Additional information released by the NIMC reveals that the card will be enabled for all government intervention and services across multiple Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDA). Among other capabilities and functionalities, it will also be enabled for the eNaira in compliance with the EMV operational and security standards.
Although NIMC has not categorically stated the date the card will be available to Nigerians, it has released the process of applying for it.
How to obtain the card
According to NIMC, Nigerians intending to apply for the card will go through the following process:
First, the person goes to the nearest bank or bank-approved center and makes a request for the payment card layered on identity.
The person provides his or her NIN for identity verification and proof of a minimum age of 18 years.
The bank sends the NIN to NIMC and receives relevant authorized identity data in the specified format.
The bank uses the verified identity data to securely prepare the standard EMV data for the card before getting it personalized and printed on by a partner bureau.
The bank then issues the finished card to the person who made the request it, now the cardholder.
Card expiry date
NIMC noted that while the payment feature “ATM card” part of the solution comes with the standard expiry date printed in front, the identity part on the back of the card will only have an issue date signified and no expiry date.
According to the Commission, when the payment feature of the card expires, the cardholder has 3 options with regard to the continued use of the card:
“Go to the bank and request a new payment card layered on identity, discarding the previous one.
“Continue to use the card only as a valid means of identification but not for payment – a new separate, standalone payment card is requested from the bank.
“Continue to use the card only as a valid means of identification without requesting a new payment card (especially for the unbanked persons).”
NIMC warned that the card will still function as an ATM card so it is advisable for users not to give out photocopies or scanned images of it, bearing their sensitive payment details, to unauthorized parties.
The Commission noted that while the user’s NIN is not visible on the card, it can be accessed by scanning the QR code on the card.
