The Gambia: ID cards, and birth registration 1 July 2020

Danish National ID Centre Introduction The following note describes the Gambian national ID cards and the Gambian Adelgade 13 DK-1304 Copenhagen K national including their respective issuance procedures. It also describes Denmark the birth registration procedure and provides an assessment of the trustworthi- Phone +45 61 98 39 00 ness of Gambian identity documents in general. Email [email protected] Website www.nidc.dk The note is based on open source information.

Different versions of the national identity card Gambian citizens over the age of 18 are required to carry an identity card at all times, and can be punished with a fine or imprisonment if violating the law.1

At least three types of identity cards have been in circulation in the last ten years: an identity card without a chip, and two different cards with a chip, where the latter (referred to as biometric ID card) has been issued since October 2018.2

The version of identity card without a chip was issued up to 2009, when it was substituted by an identity card with a chip. The identity card with a chip was is- sued between 2009 and up to mid/late 2015, when the issuance stopped due to economic issues between the Gambian government and the contractor in charge for the production. From January 2016, the identity cards without a chip were issued once again.3 Thereby two types of identity cards were in circulation in 2017: identity cards with and without a chip.4

In March 2017, however, the Gambian government temporarily stopped the pro- duction of both Gambian passports and national identity cards in order to exam- ine the security concept for national documents.5

According to a number of media sources referred to by EASO, a new version of the national identity card was made available to the Gambian population by October

1 Access Gambia, N/A. 2 EASO, December 2017, p. 53-54. 3 EASO, December 2017; The Fatu Network, 4 January 2016. 4 EASO, December 2017, p. 53. 5 EASO, December 2017, p. 54. Page 1/7 2018. The new version, referred to as biometric ID card by EASO, also contains a chip.6

Application procedure for the identity card The identity card is issued by the Gambian Immigration Department. In order to apply for a national identity card, Gambian citizens must submit an application form along with a birth certificate or any other old such as passport, a voter’s card, a registration/naturalisation card or, in alternative, an attestation issued by the chief of the district (Seyfo) or the village (Alkalo). A po- lice report shall be attached to the application in case the previous card is lost or stolen.7

NIDC was not able to find relevant information regarding the actual capture of the . The application fee for the biometric ID cards is 450 dalasis (approxi- mately 11.65 USD).8

Information in the national identity cards bearing a chip The first identity card bearing a chip issued between 2009 and 2015 contained a photo, a thumbprint, an encoded chip, name, the citizen’s address and signature, and an 11-digit National Identification Number (NIN). The first six digits of the NIN are the card holder’s date of birth, and the following digits are a series of codes which pertain to the card holder’s gender, place of issuance, and serial numbers.9

The new biometric card issued since October 2018, as referred to in an article reported by EASO, has improved security features, and contains, in addition to the information mentioned above a chip that stores the citizen’s ten .10 However, the NIDC cannot confirm the accuracy of this information, as the centre did not yet examine a sample of this card.

Gambian national passport In 2017, two series of passports were in circulation: a machine readable passport and a .11 The Gambian machine readable passport was issued between 2002 and 2014. The price of a standard national passport was 1,000 da- lasis (approximately 20 USD).

The authority responsible for issuing Gambian national passports is the Immigra- tion Department whereas diplomatic and service passports are printed by the Immigration Department and issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The red diplomatic passport is issued to prominent government officials. The navy blue service passport is also issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to government

6 The Point, 5 February 2020; Foroyaa, 11 July 2019. 7 EASO, December 2017; Biometric Update, 25 September 2019. 8 Foroyaa Newspaper, 24 September 2018. 9 EASO, December 2017; Access Gambia, N/A. 10 Foroyaa Newspaper, 24 September 2018. 11 EASO, December 2017; Access Gambia, 2012; The Daily Observer, 10 December 2015. Page 2/7 officials under the services of Government.12 Passports are valid for five years and cannot be extended.13

Image 1: Front cover of Gambian machine readable passport (Edison TD).

Image 2: Bio-data page Gambian machine readable passport (Edison TD).

The biometric passport According to the Daily Observer which is an English-speaking, Banjul-based news- paper referred to by EASO, the biometric ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) passport was launched on 22 September 2014, and the Gambian Ministry of Interior urged all Gambian citizens to apply for the new biometric passport, as they would not be allowed to depart from Banjul International Air- port with a machine readable passport from January 2016.14

Registration is possible at ten enrolment booths specifically designed to capture the biometric data. Six of these booths are in Banjul and four units are at the em- bassies in Brussels, London, Madrid and Washington D.C.. There are also two mo- bile enrolment units available, which are used to enrol elderly or disabled.15

12 EASO December 2017; Access Gambia, 2012. 13 EASO, December 2017. 14 EASO, December 2017; The Daily Observer, 10 December 2015. 15 , N/A. Page 3/7 Gambian citizens must appear in person to have their biometric features cap- tured. The application must be submitted at one of the Immigration Department’s enrolment offices in Banjul with the following supporting documents:

 Payment confirmation  Identity card  Voter’s card  Copy of birth certificate or a certificate signed by the village chief (Alkalo) or by district chief (Seylo) declaring that the applicant was born in their village/district  Old passport (in renewal cases)  Gambians below 18 years must submit a birth certificate, signed by the Alkalo or Seyfo and their parents’ identity documents.16

The price of a biometric passport is 3,000 dalasis (approximately 60 USD).

The biometric data captured is the applicant’s fingerprints, the applicant’s signa- ture and information regarding the applicant’s irises. The information is stored in a RFID tag (radio frequency identification) embedded in the document.

Birth registration Birth registration in Gambia is mandatory according to the Children’s Act (2005) and to the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act (1990). The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is responsible for the registration of births in Gambia. Fathers of children born in wedlock shall register the birth of their child within 14 days. However, if the father is dead or absent, or the child is born out of wedlock, mothers are given one calendar month to register the birth of their children.17 In the event of death or inability of both father and mother the person who occupies the place in which a birth occurs shall give such notice within one calendar month.18 The actual registration of births is conducted by local registrars, who interview applicants or family members, hereby checking the plausibility of statements and documents. Birth registration in Gambia requires the following documents:

 Documents from clinic of birth  Written confirmation of birth from the chief of village (Alkalo) or by the chief of the district (Seyfo) from the area where the child was born  Completion of a legally prescribed form.19

Birth registration is free of charge. However, late registration is punished with a fine.20 The Gambian birth certificate consists of the following information: date and place of birth, child’s name, father’s name, mother’s name, father’s occupa-

16 EASO, December 2017; Jollof News, 23 March 2017; The Point, 23 September 2014. 17 UNICEF, 1990, Articles 16 and 17. 18 UNICEF, 1990, Articles 18. 19 EASO, December 2017; UNICEF, N/A; African Child Forum, N/A. 20 UNICEF, 1990, Articles 10. Page 4/7 tion, the person who registers the child, the date of registration, the registrar’s name and signature.21

Late birth registration According to Landinfo, late birth registration is a prevailing trend in several African countries, including many West African states. This is because parents often have little or no incentive to register the birth of their children until they reach a situa- tion that requires a birth certificate. Examples of this type of situation may include school enrolment, access to health services or acquisition of documentation re- quired for international travel. As many children in several African countries re- ceive no formal education, it is not uncommon for citizens in these countries to register their birth as adults, especially in remote, rural areas.22

This trend is also evident in Gambia. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the birth registration rate for children under the age of five was 55 % in 2006, and that late birth registration in connection with school enrolment was still the most common form of birth registration in 2012.23

Corruption and the trustworthiness of Gambian identity documents According to a Landinfo report from 2007, bribery was very common among the lower levels of government and other public institutions and this was partly due to low salaries, which made it impossible for public officials to survive without garnishing their official wages.24

According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2019, The Gambia scored 37 out of 100 with 0 representing a highly corrupt public sector. While still below the global average of 43 out of 100, The Gambia has gained sev- en points since 2017, when the former president left office. Since then, the Su- preme Court declared the unconstitutionality of several pieces of legislation and the new administration has undertaken steps to reform the Gambian Constitution and to better protect citizens’ rights.25

The Gambia lacks a central for the registration of births, deaths and marriage and all forms of vital statistics are entered by hand in records that are archived locally in analogue form.26 The combination of low levels of birth regis- tration and the lack of a central electronic database containing records of vital statistics, theoretically makes it possible to obtain genuine birth certificates con- taining fraudulent personal information, due to the lack of possible verification routines.27

21 UNECA, N/A. 22 Landinfo, July 2007. 23 UNECA, N/A; UNICEF, January 2010. 24 Landinfo, July 2007; Transparency International, 21 February 2018. 25 Transparency International, 6 March 2019. 26 EASO, December 2017. 27 Landinfo, July 2007. Page 5/7 References Access Gambia (2012): Gambian Passports (Gambia Immigration Department GID), http://www.accessgambia.com/extra/passports-2.html, retrieved 3 De- cember 2018. Access Gambia (N/A): Work and Residency Permits for Gambia, http://www.accessgambia.com/information/residency-work-permits.html, re- trieved 3 December 2018. African Child Forum (N/A): Birth registration: the International/Regional Legal framework, http://www.africanchildforum.org/clr/Harmonisation%20of%20Laws%20in%20 Africa/other-documents-harmonisation_17_en.pdf, retrieved 14 May 2020. Biometric Update (25 September 2018): Gambia’s biometric ID cards ready for distribution October 1, https://www.biometricupdate.com/201809/gambias- biometric-id-cards-ready-for-distribution-october-1, retrieved 3 December 2018. EASO (European Asylum Support Office) (December 2017): EASO Country of Origin Information Report - The Gambia Country Focus, https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a338fb54.html, retrieved 3 December 2018. Foroyaa Newspaper, Gambia (11 July 2019): Gambia should refrain from helping aliens get ID cards says GID spokesperson, https://foroyaa.net/gambians- should-refrain-from-helping-aliens-get-id-cards-says-gid-spokesperson/, re- trieved 13 May 2020. Foroyaa Newspaper, Gambia (24 September 2018): New National ID Card will cost D450, https://foroyaa.net/new-national-id-card-will-cost-d450/, retrieved 13 May 2020. Jollof News (23 March 2017): Gambia suspends production of Passports, https://jollofnewspaper.com/2017/03/23/gambia-announces-suspension-of- national-passport-production/, retrieved 23 June 2020. Landinfo (July 2007): Afrika sør for Sahara – om dokumenter og offentlig forvalt- ning, https://landinfo.no/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Afrika-sør-for-Sahara- Om-dokumenter-og-offentlig-forvaltning-072007.pdf, retrieved 3 December 2018. The Daily Observer (10 December 2015): Gambians Urged to Apply for Biometric Passport, https://allafrica.com/stories/201512110722.html, , retrieved 3 De- cember 2018. The Fatu Network (4 January 2016): The Gambia returns to the old identity cards and driving license due to inability to pay over a million US dollars owed to Pris- tine Consulting, https://fatunetwork.net/the-gambia-returns-to-the-old- identity-cards-and-drivers-license-due-to-inability-to-pay-over-a-million-us- dollars-owed-to-pristine-consulting/, retrieved 14 May 2020. The Point (23 September 2014): Gambian Passport goes Biometric, http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/gambian-passport-goes-biometric, re- trieved 14 May 2020. The Point (5 February 2020): GID announces new scheme for ID, residential cards, http://archive.thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/gid-announces-new-scheme- for-id-residential-cards, retrieved 12 May 2020.

Page 6/7 Transparency International (21 February 2018): Corruption Perception Index 2017 Gambia, https://www.transparency.org/country/GMB#, retrieved 3 December 2018. Transparency International (6 March 2019): The Gambia’s seven point improve- ment in CPI comes after end of decades-long autocratic rule, https://voices.transparency.org/the-gambias-seven-point-improvement-in-cpi- comes-after-end-of-decades-long-autocratic-rule-cbdda0fa3e6b?source=------1------, retrieved 14 May 2020. UNECA (N/A), Status of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in the Republic of Gambia, https://www.uneca.org/sites/default/files/images/crmc_status_of_crvs_in_gam bia.pdf, retrieved 26 June 2020. UNICEF (N/A): Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act (1990), https://data.unicef.org/crvs/gambia/, retrieved 14 May 2020. Zetes (N/A): The Gambian E-passport, https://peopleid.zetes.com/sites/default/files/references/pdf/cs_gmb_passport _en.pdf, retrieved 15 May 2020.

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