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Sri Lanka is close to implementing its long-planned Electronic National Identity Card (e-NIC) system following an announcement that a final batch of 400,000 cards is to be delivered by the end of June 2025. These are the last of the initial 700,000 polycarbonate e-NICs bought from Thales before the implementation of the e-NIC initiative.
The e-NICs are designed to incorporate biometric data, including fingerprints, facial recognition, and iris information to boost identity verification efficiency. These cards will be implemented with the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI) project to integrate identification systems in the country.
Each card will have a unique identification number and consolidate multiple types of identification in one document holding data including birth registration certificates, tax identification information, and other national records. A program to boost awareness of e-NICs in both public and private sectors is also underway.
With data collection announced to be in its final stages in February 2025, the initial phase of the e-NIC rollout will focus on collecting facial and fingerprint data from card applicants, with plans to add retinal scans in a secondary phase.
Sri Lankan banks are already accessing this repository of information to verify client details.
As part of Sri Lanka’s broader digitalization agenda, digital birth certificates are also being issued to individuals born after January 2021 in the country’s capital of Colombo to complement existing handwritten birth certificates.
