This request only updates the following sentence in the third paragraph of DZA21158.E of 5 July 1995: "The holder's fingerprint appears in the bottom left corner of the same side".

An official at the Embassy of Algeria in Ottawa provided clarifications on the issue of fingerprints on the national identity card (31 March 1999). The official stated that there are two types of identity card; one is delivered in Algeria, the other is delivered by Algerian foreign missions. The identity card delivered in Algeria is in Arabic only with the fingerprint on the bottom right side of the card, while the card delivered by foreign missions is bilingual (French and Arabic) with the fingerprint on the bottom left side.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Embassy of Algeria, Ottawa. 31 March 1999. Telephone interview with official.