UNMIK/PR/450
PRESS RELEASE - 18 December 2000

DSRSG Announces Commencement of ID Card Distribution Process

PRISTINA---DSRSG Tom Koenigs today announced the commencement of the distribution process of ID cards from tomorrow morning.

The distribution will begin with 34000 cards in five municipalities in the first phase. The five municipalities are: Ferizaj/Urosevac, Vushtrri/Vucitrn, Lipjan/Lipljan, Suharekė/Suva Reka and Klinė/Klina. This process will be extended to the whole of Kosovo in the next few days. 

Initially the people to receive the ID cards will be the so-called review cases i.e. those people who had no documentation. There are, however, a few others who don't fall in the category of review cases, who would also receive the ID cards. But that number is small.

UNMIK has undertaken further corrections in the data base. By the time the present/initial process ends sometime in January, UNMIK would have cleaned up the data for nearly 250,000 cards, which should mean that ID cards could be produced at the rate of 8,000 cards per day from end-January. The distribution of this greater amount should start early February.

Meanwhile, UNMIK specialists have looked into means for correcting the existing data base of the remaining 650,000 people or so who registered, in order to produce ID cards for everyone in Kosovo. This data will have to be re-entered once again into the central database. This exercise is starting immediately.

The need for an accurate data bases can't be overemphasised. What UNMIK is doing now by correcting the existing data is to rebuild the central database. This database will work as the civil registry to be used for all documentation in future: ID cards, travel documents, drivers' licenses and a comprehensive voters' list in preparation for general elections.

Getting the civil registry absolutely correct is vital for the future development of Kosovo, for law and order and for all other documentation.

There are several reasons for the delay in the production and distribution of the ID cards. When the Civil and Voters Registration started, the priority was holding the municipal elections, which were organised successfully.

During the Confirmations, Additions and Challenges (CAC) period, several mistakes were noticed in the Voters List. Those corrections were made and then just before the elections further corrections were made to the Final Voters List, as part of the Quick Check process.

The ID card/Civil Registry data is a lot more detailed than that required for the Voters List. Therefore all the data needs to be accurate and correct. These corrections that UNMIK has been making since the end of the municipal elections have resulted in the preparation of the 34,000 ID cards and the additional 250,000 cards.

The problems with the data have ranged from registration forms which were not filled in properly or with the wrong coloured ink here in Kosovo--to confusing information which was sent to the company in India and inputted into their computers, along with the choice of a technology which was too sophisticated for the task at hand.

The civil registration process has re-started. UNMIK has made sure that the data from this is inputted correctly.

People who receive their ID cards will be eligible to apply for the travel documents. The turn-around time for receiving the travel document will be about four weeks from the time the application is received in the Municipal Civil Registration Centres.

So far, 14 countries have recognized the validity of the UNMIK Travel Documents. They are: Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, USA, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Greece, Austria and Croatia.

How do people know that their card is ready?

· They should go to the registration centres where they first registered to check lists of numbers showing which cards are READY and the DATE when they can collect their card.

· The numbers shown on this list are the numbers on their blue registration receipts. If the registration receipt number matches that on the list in the registration centres, their card is ready.

Where do they pick up their card?

· If they find their number, they should go to the current Municipal Civil Registration Centres (MCRC) in their municipality to pick up their registration card on the date indicated in the list at the registration centres.

How do they pick up their card?

· Everyone must pick up his/her card in person.
· They must take their registration receipt to the MCRC.