Velana International Airport (VIA) has begun accepting digital identity (ID) cards for domestic flights.
The Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) stated that it is a step forward for the initiative introduced by the National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT). The move follows the issuance of a circular by the Ministry of Defence, authorising the acceptance of a wider range of identification documents by VIA for checking in passengers on domestic flights.
Passengers flying domestically from VIA can now use any of the following non-expired documents for an airline ticket purchase, check-in, and identification at security checkpoints: passport, citizenship card / digital citizenship card, work visa card/digital work visa card, license card/digital license card, airport security pass, photo issued by a government agency and an official document bearing the ID card number.
NCIT designed the digital ID card is designed to be in both Dhivehi and English languages. However, information transferred from one institution to another will be in the language required by the agency. The e-Fass application, which is used with the digital ID card, has strong security features as well. The highest priority for the introduction of digital ID cards is to ensure that the individual's personal information cannot be fraudulently taken by anyone else.