Afghan identity card

Afghan Tazkira
(Dari: تابعیت تذکره)
(Pashto: د تابعیت تذکره)
TypeNational identity card
Issued by Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
PurposeIdentification
EligibilityNational of Afghanistan

The Afghan Tazkira (Dari: تابعیت تذکره; Pashto: د تابعیت تذکره) is an official national identity document issued to every national and citizen of Afghanistan, including a member of the Afghan diaspora around the world.[1][2][3][4]

The document is used to obtain an electronic Afghan identity card (e-Tazkira), which is valid for up to 10 years and required for many things such as employment, registering in school, operating a business, buying or renting a house, opening a bank account, sending or receiving money through Western Union, purchasing a SIM card, obtaining a passport, booking airline tickets, staying in hotels, etc. The documents serve as proof of identity and residency but more importantly Afghan nationality. Both the paper Tazkira certificate and e-Tazkira are issued by the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA), which has offices in nearly all provinces of Afghanistan.[5][6][7][8]

The Afghan Tazkira, which is older than 100 years,[9] has been modernized in recent years. The e-Tazkira campaign was officially launched in Kabul in May of 2018 when then-President Ashraf Ghani and First Lady Rula Ghani received their smart cards. Distribution of the modern Tazkiras later began in other parts of Afghanistan. The e-Tazkira complies with international standards for identity documents.[10] As of 2024, over twelve million people of Afghanistan have obtained their e-Tazkiras.[11][12][13] This includes the Afghans that are temporarily residing in Iran and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).[3] The Afghan citizens that are temporarily residing in Pakistan are also issued special documents by Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.[14] In May 2022, the Government of Afghanistan announced that it will start issuing Tazkira certificates with a new design bearing the emblem of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[15]

Procedure

In order to obtain a Tazkira, an application must be prepared and filed with the NSIA.[16] The processing fee is 500 afghanis, which is the equivalent of around $7 US dollars.[17] The Tazkira certificate and e-Tazkira are both issued by the NSIA.[18] Evidence that the applicant is in fact a national and citizen of Afghanistan is required.[4] This can be proven by providing older Afghan Tazkira along with family and relatives appearing as witnesses, and they must also have valid e-Tazkiras or passports. Applicants below the age of 18 years must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians before the application can be submitted.[19] The e-Tazkira can only be issued after the entire verification and biometrics process is completed. In some cases this requires multiple trips to the main NSIA office in Kabul.[20]

Characteristics of e-Tazkira

The e-Tazkira is a polycarbonate smart card, about 86 × 54 millimeters in size.[21] On the front is the bearer's photo along with personal information, which is in Dari and Pashto languages. On the back is a gold-plated contact chip, and to the right is the bearer's smaller photo, with some of the bearer's personal information in English.

At the top of the current e-Tazkira is written the following:

  1. Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Dari: جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان; Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت)
  2. National Statistics and Information Authority (Dari: اداره ملی احصائیه و معلومات; Pashto: د احصایې او معلوماتو ملي اداره)
  3. Citizenship ID (Dari: تابعیت تذکره; Pashto: د تابعیت تذکره)

Printed data

The descriptions of the fields on the e-Tazkira are printed in Dari, Pashto, and English language,[9] and include the following personal information:

A machine readable zone is printed on the bottom of the back-side of the card.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Afghanistan: Tazkera, passports and other ID documents" (PDF). Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre. May 22, 2019. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  2. ^ "Women's access to identification cards can accelerate development in Afghanistan". blogs.worldbank.org. October 5, 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  3. ^ a b "Opening the 6th E-Tazkira (eNID) Centers in Kerman City of Iran". National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA). January 21, 2021.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ a b "ENIC process at a snail's pace: Balkh residents". Pajhwok Afghan News. July 25, 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  5. ^ "Violence affects e-ID cards distribution in Kandahar". Pajhwok Afghan News. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  6. ^ "Ghazni residents blast long lasting CNIC process". Pajhwok Afghan News. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  7. ^ "Farah begins issuing electronic ID cards to residents". Pajhwok Afghan News. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  8. ^ "Paktia residents want CNIC process accelerated". Pajhwok Afghan News. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  9. ^ a b "Deputy Director General Office for Civil Registration". National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA). Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  10. ^ "Distribution of e-ID cards to start on May 3, 2018". TOLOnews. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  11. ^ "Above 12 million e-ID cards issued so far: NSIA". Pajhwok Afghan News. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  12. ^ "Taliban reports over 12 million e-ID cards issued". Amu TV. January 28, 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  13. ^ "2.5 Million Electronic IDs Issued Last Year: NSIA". TOLOnews. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  14. ^ "Government delivered first new Proof of Registration smartcards to Afghan refugees". UNHCR Pakistan. May 25, 2021. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  15. ^ "Deputy prime minister hosts meeting in Kabul". Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Absentee Tazkira".
  17. ^ "Applicants Criticize Rise in Fees for Electronic IDs". TOLOnews. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  18. ^ "TAZKIRA SERVICES (Afghan National ID)".
  19. ^ "mfa.gov.af". Archived from the original on 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  20. ^ "Slow-paced ID card correction irks Bamyan residents". Pajhwok Afghan News. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  21. ^ "Kabultimes". Archived from the original on 2018-05-06.
  22. ^ "mcit.gov.af". Archived from the original on May 7, 2018.