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.
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