Ushering into new year 2023, the National Identification Authority in Tanzania is floating a digital portal to enable people without official Identity Cards to apply for the documents online.
The new development comes at the time when many Tanzanians are yet to get their physical National IDs despite having applied for the cards over seven years ago.
Most residents only have the serial identification numbers that should have been printed on cards.
A statement from the National Identification Authority (NIDA), now claims to allow applicants to fill forms online instead of physically marching to their offices.
However for many observers, the fact that one is being forced to print the online forms and take them to NIDA offices, the process is still not fast or friendly enough.
“I don’t see any benefit in filling the forms online then keep taking the printed papers from one office to another in order to get the IDs,” says John Massawe of Arusha.
On her part, Mercy Peter of Dodoma says even if one gets to fill the forms and submit them to NIDA offices, it is not exactly guaranteed that the cards will be readily available.
According to NIDA the Identity Card application portal should be available at: eonline.nida.go.tz
But being an insecure sight, the portal is more often than not rendered ‘Inaccessible.’
Many other are also complaining of a broken link.
The frustrating experience of trying to open it may get worse should the traffic to the site increase.
It is still not known for sure how many Tanzanians currently have physical Identity Cards, with the majority only owning their related numerals.
In the past, the National ID Authority had opened an online window through which a person could download and print their own cards by entering the numbers, but shortly afterwards NIDA deleted the portal.
Tanzania’s population had surged to 61.7 million by October 2022.
The process of issuing National Identity Cards to all residents started in 2016.
Related Story: Can foreigners apply for National Identity Cards in Tanzania?
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