Document #1138604
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa
In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, an official at the National Registration Secretariat (NRS), the government body which issues Sierra Leonean identity cards (Sierra Leone 2008), stated that the current version of the national identity card was introduced in August 2009 (ibid. 18 Nov. 2015). According to the same source, since August 2009, the previous version of the card was no longer being issued and is no longer valid (ibid.). Two government sources indicate that the appearance of the identity card has only changed once since 2000 (ibid.; ibid. 16 Nov. 2015).
In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, an official at the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Brussels indicated that the validity period of the national identity card is five years (16 Nov. 2015). The official at the NRS indicated that the identity card is valid for five years for citizens of Sierra Leone (18 Nov. 2015). For residents who are not citizens of Sierra Leone, the national identity card is valid for one year (ibid.).
Sources indicate that there are no variations of the identity card (ibid.; ibid. 16 Nov. 2015).
The official at the NRS indicated that the current identity card is laminated, has a green background, and contains the following information:
The official at the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Brussels added that there is a picture of the card holder on the card, and a smaller copy of the picture on the back of the card and indicated that the identity card is approximately the size of a regular credit card, made of hard plastic and does not contain the address of the card holder (17 Nov. 2015).
The official at the NRS provided the following details about the main security features of the identity card:
A sample of the current version of the national identity card was sent to the Research Directorate by the official at the NRS and is attached to this Response.
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 for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Note
[1] The Cotton Tree of Freetown is a tree located in the centre of Freetowns's old town and is considered "Freetown's most famous landmark" (Lonely Planet n.d.).
Lonely Planet. N.d. "Cotton Tree."
Sierra Leone. 18 November 2015. National Registration Secretariat. Telephone interview with an official.
_____. 17 November 2015. Embassy of Sierra Leone in Brussels. Telephone interview with an official.
_____. 16 November 2015. Embassy of Sierra Leone in Brussels. Telephone interview with an official.
_____. 2008.The National Registration Act, 2008.
Oral sources: Canada – Canada Border Services Agency, High Commission to Ghana, Togo, and Sierra Leone; Sierra Leone – Anti-Corruption Commission, Embassy in Washington, DC.; US – Embassy in Freetown.
Internet sites, including: EdisonTD; European Union – Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online (PRADO); Factiva; My Sierra Leone Online; Sierra Herald; Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation; Sierra Leone Live; Sierra Leone News; Sierra Leone Telegraph; This Is Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone. N.d. "Sample of a Current Identity Card." Sent to the Research Directorate by an official at the National Registration Secretariat on 18 November 2015.
Sierra Leone: Appearance of national identity cards, including description of security features (2000-November 2015) [SLE105365.E] (Response, French)