Georgian Government to Provide ID Cards Free of Charge in May-June

TBILISI – Georgian citizens will be able to receive free national ID cards from May 26-June 26 in order to register as voters for the upcoming parliamentary elections in October, Georgia’s Justice Minister, Thea Tsulukiani, announced Wednesday.

Tsulukiani said the initiative would provide accurate information about each voter and eliminate mistakes on the election lists.

The government initiated a similar program for the 2014 municipal elections. The goal of the initiative is to provide the justice ministry with data about the number of registered voters in a particular constituency. The ministry then transmits the biometric photograph and ID card data to Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC).

This then allows voters to verify their information on the CEC’s website and find out where they are able to vote.

Any Georgian citizen who wishes to have an ID card must visit any public registry office or public service hall.

The cards are usually issued in about 10 working days.

By Eka Karsaulidze