Rename "citizen identification card" to "ID card" to include enough information

Citizen identification cards can continue to be used until they expire.

At the meeting, reporting on the explanation, reception and revision of the draft law, the National Assembly Standing Committee agreed with the majority of opinions in favor of the name of the Law on Identification and the name of the identification card.

Accordingly, the use of the name of the Law on Identification clearly demonstrates its scientific nature, will cover the scope of regulation, the subjects of application of the law include Vietnamese citizens and people of Vietnamese origin living in Vietnam but whose nationality has not been determined, in accordance with the nature and objectives of identity management of our State; management methods in the period of the 4.0 revolution, building a digital government and digital society.

According to the National Assembly Standing Committee, the use of the name of the ID card as in the draft law is appropriate and will fully cover the information about the citizen's identity. In addition, the expansion and integration of more information into the ID card both aims to achieve the goal of more comprehensive and complete state management of identity and facilitates people in using personal information. Changing the name of the ID card as in the draft law does not create procedures or costs for people to change the card.

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong chaired the National Assembly's discussion session in the hall on the draft Law on Identification.

The draft Law on Identification stipulates that citizen identification cards issued before the effective date of this law are valid until the expiration date stated on the card. Citizens are allowed to exchange them for identity cards upon request. Identity cards that are still valid can be used until December 31, 2024.

Legal documents issued using information from identity cards and citizen identification cards shall retain their validity. State management agencies shall not prescribe separate procedures for changing or adjusting information on identity cards and citizen identification cards in issued documents.

Clarifying the responsibility of management agencies in locking and unlocking electronic identification cards

In addition to the name, some National Assembly delegates suggested carefully considering and evaluating the information added to the National Population Database and the Identity Database to ensure information confidentiality. Some suggested classifying information fields to ensure logic, science, and convenience; considering information fields to ensure stability and regularity.

According to the National Assembly Standing Committee, it is necessary to expand and integrate more information of citizens and people of Vietnamese origin whose nationality has not been determined in specialized databases into the National Population Database and the Identity Database.

At the same time, the draft law stipulates that only information fields that are clearly defined in management practice, frequently used, and needed in the National Population Database will be updated. Of these, there are 7 information fields that people must provide if these information fields do not exist or are incomplete.

The remaining information fields are information to ensure citizens' rights when using the utilities and values provided by the National Population Database; this information will be updated through voluntary provision by citizens and shared through specialized databases to serve administrative and civil transactions.

Scene of the National Assembly's discussion session in the hall about the draft Law on Identification.

Article 16 of the draft law stipulates that biometric information on DNA and voice is collected when people voluntarily provide it or during the process of resolving a case according to assigned functions and tasks. The agency conducting the proceedings or the agency managing the person subject to administrative handling measures that requests an appraisal or collects biometric information on DNA and voice of the people shall share that information and data with the identity management agency to update the Identity Database.

Based on the opinions of National Assembly deputies and through reviewing and evaluating the content of the draft Law, the National Assembly Standing Committee believes that the provisions on locking and unlocking electronic identification cards at the request of agencies, organizations and individuals providing services as in the draft Law do not have a solid basis and may lead to violations of citizens' rights and cause damage to citizens.

Therefore, the National Assembly Standing Committee omitted some regulations on locking and unlocking electronic ID cards; revised some contents in the draft law; and at the same time designed an additional clause to clarify the responsibility of the ID management agency in locking and unlocking citizens' electronic ID cards.

According to the draft law, the locking of an electronic ID card must be immediately notified to the person whose card is locked. Unlocking must be done within 2 working days at the latest. The head of the identification management agency of the Ministry of Public Security has the authority to lock and unlock electronic ID cards. The Government shall prescribe the procedures for locking and unlocking electronic ID cards.

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