NON-CITIZENS will soon be issued with electronic resident identification cards that will enable them to move freely within the country without having to carry their respective national passports.Registration will begin next week and according to Ange Sebutege, the Communication officer at the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration, the electronic cards will replace the paper “green cards” that foreigners have been using. “This resident card is designed according to the wishes and proposals from non-nationals (customers) living in Rwanda and will be machine readable just like the national IDs,” Sebutege said in a statement.This card will give the holder the right to access some of the services offered to nationals such as the right to obtain a driving license. All Non-Nationals living in Rwanda are encouraged to participate in this registration campaign and the concerned should come along with their passports, laissez passer or any other identification document.The registration exercise will be held at district immigration offices and immigration headquarters.It will be launched in Gakenke, Rulindo, Gicumbi and Bugesera districts on October 15 and conclude in Huye, Gisagara, Kamonyi and Muhanga.The development was welcomed by foreigners in the country. “It will be a relief not to have to carry my passport around,” Coroline Peixoto, an American citizen who heads a ballet in Rwanda said. “I, however, think it’s not something I will need regularly because I still need my passport to open up bank accounts and the like.” When contacted about the likelihood of the foreigners using these cards to access banking services, Sebutege said that this was something that can be looked in the future.“It will mainly depend on the banks because the cards have almost the same information that the passports have. But admissibility will entirely depend on the banks.”
