Citizen identification cards will be used nationwide in 2021

On September 9, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Public Security held an online conference with 63 provincial and municipal police departments on the implementation of the Project on production, issuance, and management ofcitizen identificationand 6-month review of the implementation of the National Population Database Project.

Citizen identification cards will be implemented nationwide from 2021. Illustrative photo

Putting two projects into operation in 2021

The Ministry of Public Security is assigned to develop the National Population Database Project and the Citizen Identification Database Project to ensure the issuance of unified citizen identification cards nationwide. These are two important projects in the process of building e-Government, contributing to reforming administrative procedures, improving the quality of state management of security and order, serving the prevention and fight against crime.

Pursuant to Decision No. 446 dated May 11, 2004 of the Prime Minister approving the Project on production, issuance and management of identity cards, the Ministry of Public Security has coordinated with relevant ministries and branches to issue legal documents as a legal corridor for project implementation. The Ministry of Public Security has conducted pilot issuance in 16 provinces and cities. After the Law on Citizen Identification was passed, the Ministry of Public Security has organized adjustments, conversions and updates of the system of production, issuance and management of identity cards to citizen identification cards in 16 localities. To date, nearly 17 million identity cards/citizen identification cards have been issued. The citizen identification system is connected, shared, exploited and effectively serves the work of State management and professional requirements of the Public Security force.

Regarding the National Population Database Project, the Public Security of units and localities have organized implementation and organized training on the process of collecting and updating citizen information in the population database. By August 20, 2020, 59/63 localities had collected according to plan. To date, 14 ministries, ministerial-level agencies and 45 provinces and cities have sent results to the Department of Administrative Police for Social Order to connect and share.

On September 3, 2020, the Prime Minister signed a Decision approving the investment policy for the Project on production, issuance and management of citizen identification cards. This is a fundamental advantage for the Public Security force to urgently deploy in parallel with the National Population Database Project.

The project to produce, issue and manage Citizen Identification Cards will use rolling fingerprints instead of flat fingerprints; use electronic Chip cards because of their high security and faster processing speed compared to other types, integrating many utilities during use; invest in fingerprint and facial recognition applications to serve the fight against crime and build a crime prevention and fighting library. For iris, DNA and voice recognition applications, there will be an open design so that when conditions are suitable, investment can be made.

The construction of a unified National Citizen Identification Database, the collection and management of automatic citizen identification registration data on the information technology infrastructure helps to store, retrieve, share, and search for information in the fastest and most convenient way; improve the efficiency of state management of citizen identification, create favorable conditions for citizens when performing administrative procedures and civil transactions; aim to build an e-Government, create a breakthrough in the socio-economic development of the whole country; contribute to effectively serving the fight against crime.

The general goal is to press the button to operate the two projects by February 26, 2021 and to have the entire system operational by July 1, 2021.

Implement synchronously, economically, and avoid wasting the State budget.

Speaking at the Conference, Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Duy Ngoc emphasized that the parallel implementation of the two projects aims to ensure synchronization, maximize the use of human resources, infrastructure, and digital transmission lines, contributing to saving and avoiding waste of the State budget.

Conference delegates.

Regarding the key tasks in the coming time, Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Ngoc suggested that the Public Security of units and localities continue to thoroughly grasp the Government's instructions and the Ministry of Public Security's Plan from the central to the grassroots levels to fully understand the importance of building a National Database on People and the Project on producing, issuing and managing citizen identification cards.

The Deputy Minister requested that the Directors of Public Security of localities focus on directing the strengthening of propaganda work, focusing on the allocation of human resources; coordinate in the deployment, installation of equipment, transmission lines, training, and coaching; implement the plan to organize the issuance of citizen identification cards to 100% of eligible citizens nationwide to be completed before July 1, 2021.

At the Conference, representatives of local police leaders and units of the Ministry of Public Security discussed solutions to combine the implementation of the two projects; mobilize forces to organize the issuance of citizen identification cards for areas with many religious people, ethnic minority areas, remote areas, etc.; and disseminate information to serve the implementation of the two projects.