‘Only 416,000 Jordanians have obtained smart IDs so far’

AMMAN — Some 416,000 citizens have issued smart ID cards so far, a number described by officials on Monday as below expectations in light of having 26 Civil Status and Passports Department (CSPD) offices to issue these cards.

The figure was cited during a Cabinet meeting, which included a briefing from the concerned officials on the procedures of issuing smart ID cards.

Of the Kingdom’s total population of 9.5 million, the number of Jordanians is around 6.6 million.

The Cabinet urged all citizens to have the cards issued, saying they will help facilitate procedures in receiving services, especially since smart cards include citizens’ personal information, photos and fingerprints, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The Council of Ministers discussed the possibility of scrapping older ID cards, and is waiting for the recommendations of the steering committee of the smart ID cards project on such a move.

Also on Monday, Interior Minister Ghaleb Zu’bi chaired a meeting, in the presence of ICT Minister Majd Shweikeh and CSPD Director General Marwan Qteishat, to discuss procedures followed in issuing smart IDs and the possibility to expand their issuance, Petra reported.

Zu’bi called on all citizens to obtain smart IDs, so that they may be used in the coming local council and decentralisation elections.

Shweikeh said encouraging citizens to obtain the cards requires joint efforts among all relevant institutions, and entails identifying all necessary technical, financial and logistical needs to issue the cards before elections, Petra reported.

The interior minister called on the CSPD to prepare a plan before the end of this week, detailing all requirements to issue the smart IDs before the elections, slated for August 15.

Qteishat expressed the department’s readiness to prepare the plan and identify all necessary measures to issue the IDs at a wider scale, according to Petra.