The excuses are different and numerous but the results are the same, which is the continued delay caused by the Public Authority for Civil Information in issuing civil cards for expatriates, and limiting them to citizens and children under 5 years, despite the authority collecting 5 dinars to issue the IDs.
In the context of digital transformation, the authority seeks to fully rely on the digital civil card (My Identity), but the problem is that there are some parties inside and outside Kuwait that do not recognize it and do not accept it in official transactions.
With the use of “My ID” for travel and most government transactions, some residents’ complaints focus on specific cases, most notably:
— Some foreign embassies require the original civil ID when submitting application for the visa, after they used to rely on the residence sticker in the passport, which has been cancelled.
— Some private schools require copies of the civil ID cards of the father, mother and the child to accept the student, or when submitting his academic certificate.
— The resident who obtains residence for the first time is asked for the serial number on the card, so that he can download “My Identity” on his mobile phone, and this number is not issued until the card is issued for the first time, which makes his matter suspended, so he does not carry a smart or ordinary civil card.
— During the security campaigns, especially in the places where the expatriates are, the policemen ask for the civil card to prove the legal status, but sometimes the expatriate worker may not have a smart phone or his phone has a problem or its screen is not clear, which leads to obstruction in checking his papers.
— Some government agencies outside Kuwait do not consider my ID and require the resident to show the original civil card in order to prove that he is a resident of Kuwait, especially since there is no residence sticker on his passport.
In light of the delay in issuing cards for a period of up to 8 months, many expatriates hope to take measures to speed up the issuance, and to return to pre-Corona conditions when the card was issued within a few days after requesting its renewal.