The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology has announced the launch of its ID card printing system on an island in the Maldives for the first time. The new service is now available in Villingili, Gaafu Alifu Atoll.
The launch event was attended by Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan and Deputy Minister of the Department of National Registration (DNR) Ahmed Ali. It marks a significant expansion of the ID card printing service, which was previously only accessible at the DNR office in Male' City’s Velaanaage Building. The DNR had signed an agreement with the Gaafu Alifu Atoll Council in July to implement the new service.
The DNR was established in 1984 to manage and collect information on residents. The department was renamed from the Identity Card Unit to the Department of National Registration on November 11, 1993. Currently, the DNR operates 174 collection centers and introduced its first online ID card process in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The portal was updated in March of the previous year to a new DNR online platform. In addition to printing ID cards, the DNR now offers a service to deliver the cards to the local council of the respective island.