The Chairperson of the Public Service Development Agency – Zurab Sanikidze personally presented a new ID card to Levan Tsiklauri, who was the 100000th citizen to take advantage of the free issue of a new ID document. The applicant also received a biometric passport for a Georgian citizen and an ID card reader. It should be noted that, in order to update the electoral register, a campaign has been ongoing since 2019 to provide free electronic ID cards to certain categories of citizens, which will continue until November 1, 2020. The goal of the campaign is to update electoral registers, improve the Agency’s databases, and provide citizens with a modern and trusted electronic document. Citizens are eligible for this campaign only once and are exempt from ID and photo fees. Adult Georgian citizens and those who will reach the age of 18 by January 1, 2021, are eligible for this campaign. Individuals can obtain an ID card free of charge until November 1, 2020, if:
· Until July 1, 2019 no identity document in his or her name had been issued;
· All such documents issued prior to that date have been or will be cancelled by November 1, 2020;
· Photographs of these documents are of poor quality or not stored in the Agency’s electronic database;
· The individuals concerned have been deregistered, their identity cards have been annulled and they will be registered at the correct address as part of a campaign;
· Are registered without a valid address, with an annulled ID card and will be registered at a certain address.
· Are registered in occupied territory of Georgia and do not hold the status of an internally displaced person. In addition, their ID cards have been annulled and they will be registered at a certain address in the territory controlled by Georgia.
Over the past seven years, more than three million citizens have been issued with electronic identity cards. Out of this number, at the initiative of the Minister of Justice, over 1 700 000 electronic identity cards have been provided free of charge or at discounted prices. Citizens who wish to take advantage of this campaign should contact the relevant services of the Public Service Development Agency, Public Service Halls or community centers. Additional information is available on the hotline of the Public Service Development Agency: 32 2 40 10 10.
