www.electionin.org

Organisation : Elections & Boundaries Commission
Facility : Apply for a New ID
Country : Trinidad and Tobago

Apply for a New ID : http://www.ebctt.com/identification-card/apply-for-a-new-id/
Home Page : http://www.ebctt.com/index.php

Apply for a New ID :
Registered persons whose names appear on the list of electors are entitled to vote in national elections using their ID Cards as the means of identification

In terms of the provision of services to the national community, the Elections and Boundaries Commission is one of the major service providers in Trinidad and Tobago. At present there are approximately 1.1 million electors registered with the EBC, each of whom has qualified to own a National Identification (ID) Card produced by the staff of the Commission. From this client base an average of three hundred thousand (300,000) visits the Commission’s Eighteen Registration Area and Sub Offices annually, seeking various types of services.

The ID card, the most sought-after product and is also the preferred forms of national identification for a number of service providers in both the public and private sector. It is one of several products that are produced from the Commission’s registration system.

The procedure used in the processing of the application and the production of the I.D. Card is significantly different from that used in respect of some other national documents; e.g. Driver’s Permit and Passport. While the issuance of a Driver’s Permit is normally a same-day transaction and the Passport is reportedly issued within a specific number of working days following an application, the issue of an Identification Card to a first-time applicant will take somewhat longer.

This is due, in part, to the fact that :
** all applications are subjected to a field check intended to verify certain particulars supplied by the registrant. Every effort is made to establish the correct residential address, since this impacts the Polling Division into which the person is placed, a necessary pre-requisite for voting. This also has implications for the creation and maintenance of accurate related records.

** while application for an Identification Card is made at the respective Registration Area Office, production of the document takes place only at the Commission’s Central Electoral Office, located in Port-of-Spain, from where the finished product is dispatched to the Area Office.

These procedures naturally add to the time-frame within which an Identification Card can be processed and delivered to an applicant. It should be noted, though, that unlike the issue of your first- I.D. Card, applications for replacement and renewal cards are processed much faster

Notwithstanding the above, the Commission wishes to advise that it is not unmindful of its responsibility towards the public to provide this very important national document in a timely manner; and gives the assurance that every effort continues to be made to ensure efficient service delivery.

To qualify for a National Identification Card a person must be :
** A citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, fifteen (15) years and over
** A Commonwealth citizen, fifteen (15) years and over who has resided in Trinidad and Tobago for a period of at least one year
** A non- Commonwealth citizen, (15) years and over resident in Trinidad and Tobago for a continuous period of five years.

Registered persons whose names appear on the list of electors are entitled to vote in national elections using their ID Cards as the means of identification.

Only persons eighteen (18) years and over are eligible to vote. Election Rule No. 36 states :
“No person shall be entitled to vote at a polling station for any polling division unless his registration record appears in the Unit Register of Electors for that polling division, or his name appears on the Revised List of Electors for that polling division.”

Identification Card new features :
Multiple uses for ID card :
An Identification Card is valid for a period of ten (10) years from the date of issue. As the expiry date of an ID Card approaches, an application to renew the card can and should be made at least two (2) months prior to the expiry date. A card which was either lost, stolen, mutilated or otherwise destroyed, or contains incorrect information can be replaced upon the payment of a fee.

The fee for a first issue replacement card is ten (10) dollars, while a second or subsequent issue costs twenty (20) dollars.

For enquires into your identification card please contact your Registration Area Office

1.1 million registered electors :
At present there are approximately 1.1 million electors registered with the EBC, each of whom has qualified to own a National Identification (ID) Card produced by the staff of the Commission