Persons seeking to renew ID cards turned away

Several persons who recently tried to get their national identification cards (ID) renewed are asking the relevant authorities to look into making the process more customer friendly, with longer hours of operation.

This, as the process at the Public Health building at Rose Place in West Kingstown came under scrutiny this past Wednesday when about 10 persons who tried to renew their ID cards were turned away.

Persons were told by the photographer that the registering officer had told him to pass on the message to the 15 persons who were waiting that he would only take five persons that day. One of the reasons given was that the light needed to enable proper taking of a photograph was fading.

The turning away of the 10 or so persons created confusion as some persons said they had been waiting for a long time, while one woman said this was the third time she had been turned away from renewing her ID card for various reasons. On one occasion she was told that time had run out although she had been there before the shut off time of 5:30 p.m.

Persons wishing to renew their ID cards must visit one of 17 registration centres throughout the various constituencies of the country.

The process is done on Mondays and Wednesdays at most locations, between 3:30 and 5.30 pm.

A person looking to renew their card must walk with an original and duplicate of their birth certificate and their old ID card. Someone re-registering after being struck from the voters’ list must walk with proof that they had been living at the same address for six months along with their birth certificate.

If the person had been overseas for a period of time, a passport must be produced. Persons must register at the centres in the constituencies where they reside.

Yesterday, Supervisor of Elections Dora James apologized for the incident at Rose Place and noted that is not usually the case.

She said she would inquire about the incident but did note that the centres usually do more than five registrations in a day.

“It is not a norm for people who go to register to be turned back unless something happens. Sometimes the weather affects us and we might curtail or cut short and I apologize,” she stressed.

She said that particular centre usually has a high turnout because of the location and most times, at all the locations, the officers would stay beyond stipulated times, but there are various factors that can cause registration to stop.

When asked if the process can be eventually changed and made into a whole day process where persons can get ID cards during normal working hours, James said that this is a decision that has to be made by the higher authorities.

James also encouraged persons to register while noting that having a national ID card is important. She also encouraged persons to take along their old ID cards when renewing.