National e-ID Card Valid As Travel Document

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is pushing for the use of the new national e-ID card as a valid travel document which will serve as an alternative to the international passport for certain types of travels.
According to NIMC, the new national e-ID card issued to Nigerians is a bona fide machine readable travel document (MRTD) recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

One of the 13 applets embedded in the JCOP chip on the card has similar content usually found in Nigeria’s e-passport and it is known as ICAO applet, so it could easily be used as a travel document subject to approval of the international community, it noted.

Tunji Durodola, head of card management services at NIMC, explained that the back of the NIMC e-ID card contains three lines called machine readable zone (MRZ) lines just like the passport and the same as other national identity cards that have ICAO support. “Its development was as a result of NIMC’s conformance to the ICAO document 9303 parts 1 and 2,” he said. 

Durodola added that if adopted, it will make travelling easier, especially for frequent travelers, who have to renew their passports and visas too often. “It is a better way to document travel information, as the loss of the identity card would not impair the information therein as it would not be accessed by other people,” he said.

As Durodola said, the ICAO applet is active at the time one picks up his e-ID card, or the citizen may wish to activate it to make travelling easier for him. 

Rigorous testing by international testing agencies ensured that the contents of the chip meet or exceed the standards set by the internationally recognised body. 

He said the first generation of cards have the smartcard chip, but future generations will be dual-interface (chip and contactless) for a truly robust solution.