47,000 Kuwaitis Miss Biometric Registration Deadline

The Ministry of Interior in Kuwait is reporting that 47,445 Kuwaiti citizens missed the biometric fingerprinting deadline on September 30. As a result, approximately 35,000 bank customers received notifications about the suspension of their banking transactions and e-services due to incomplete biometric requirements linked to their civil IDs.

To regain access to banking services, customers must complete the biometric fingerprinting process.

The Ministry also noted that 928,684 citizens successfully completed their biometric registration. Citizens whose services were suspended can visit the Personal Investigation Departments under the General Department of Criminal Evidence in their respective governorates to fulfill the requirements, which will automatically lift the restrictions.

A discrepancy of 12,445 citizens was observed between the number of affected bank customers and the Ministry’s figures, likely due to factors such as some citizens not holding active bank accounts or facing obstacles to completing the process. Additionally, multiple bank account holders may have received warnings from more than one institution, indicating that the actual number of affected customers may be lower than initially reported.

Earlier this week, ID Tech reported that Kuwait had seen a significant surge in citizens registering their biometric fingerprints ahead of the September 30 deadline, with daily registrations increasing from 600 to 6,000, aided by a home biometric service that was introduced for elderly and ill individuals.

Authorities warned that those who do not comply may face restrictions on government and banking transactions, though no travel bans will be enforced without a court order.

The biometric fingerprinting initiative aims to establish a comprehensive database of all residents and visitors in Kuwait aged 18 or older, enhancing security, eliminating passport forgery, and preventing double citizenship. Authorities have reported using this system to apprehend individuals wanted for various crimes.

Source: Arab Times Kuwait

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October 2, 2024 – by Ali Nassar-Smith