On 4 May 2001 an official at the Embassy of Angola in Ottawa stated that the Bilhete de Identidade (BI) can be obtained at an office called the Civil Identification Bureau, which is located in every province in Angola. The official stated that the fee for a BI is low, without specifying the amount (ibid.). On 30 April 2001 an Angolan journalist in Luanda stated that the fee is two Kwanzas (one Kwanza is 0.08 of a Canadian dollar: Bloomberg Online 7 May 2001). The journalist also stated that it is impossible to obtain a BI in territory controlled by UNITA (ibid.). The official at the Angolan embassy in Ottawa stated that "we are unable to state how a person who lives in an area controlled by UNITA can obtain a BI" (4 May 2001). The official added that fingerprints are taken from applicants before BIs are issued, and that it is not always necessary for the applicant to appear in person to pick up the document when it has been issued; a third party may do so, if in possession of a receipt (ibid.). A sample of the document could not be provided by the embassy.

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. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Angolan journalist, Luanda, Angola. 30 April 2001. Correspondence.

Bloomberg Online Currency Converter. 7 May 2001. http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/currency/ [Accessed 7 May 2001]

Embassy of Angola, Ottawa. 4 May 2001. Correspondence.

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB databases

Internet sites including:

Embassy of Angola

Government of Angola

IND. Home Office, UK. Country Assessments

Switzerland: Office fédéral des réfugiés

US State Department Visa Reciprocity and Country Documents Finder

Search engines including:

Google

MetaCrawler

Attempts to contact two non-documentary sources, including the Embassy of Angola in Ottawa