Kuwait considers fines for delays in ID collection: Among 220,000 unclaimed IDs, 70% belong to expats

Dubai: Facing a substantial backlog of uncollected civil identity cards, Kuwait’s Public Authority for Civil Information is weighing the introduction of fines for those who leave their IDs unclaimed for over three months.

With over 220,000 IDs awaiting collection, the move aims to address the underutilisation of the “My Identity” application and the challenges it has posed.

Director General Mansour Al Muthin revealed that over 220,000 civil identity cards remain uncollected in the Authority’s systems. Shockingly, around 70 per cent of these unclaimed cards belong to expatriates under residency Articles 18 and 22. A major contributor to this issue has been the underuse of the “My Identity” application.

These uncollected cards, according to Al Muthin, not only occupy crucial storage space but also hinder the processing and issuance of new identity cards. A proposed fine system is under study, potentially fining individuals 20 dinars if they exceed a three-month delay in collecting their IDs.

Once the study is finalised, it will be submitted to the Authority’s Board of Directors for further review. The study proposes that after a delay of six months from the storage date, uncollected cards will be destroyed. If discarded, individuals will have to reapply for a new card, bearing the cost of the new card, the previously mentioned fine, and surrendering any rights to a refund for the original issuance fees.

In a move to expedite the current identity card issuance process, the Authority has temporarily halted the processing of applications submitted before May 23. This initiative is set to ensure a swifter issuance process for subsequent submissions, potentially reducing wait times to just a few days.