State of digital ID in Bahamas

On June 28-29, 2022, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the National e-Identification System (NIS) Committee met for a workshop that was designed to engage the Bahamian government as well as private stakeholders in a strategy planning session for the implementation of a National Digital Identification System. This included a discussion about the potential implementation of a new mobile national ID.

The Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs noted the workshop as the formal beginning of the National Digital Identification process. This meeting convened with the hopes of addressing key issues as well as a time to create a roadmap and action plan for implementation of a new mobile national ID on the island. The workshop saw many presentations, but one of note was from Digital ID Expert consultant, Satyajit Suri, where he laid out some of the objectives and key considerations for the Digital ID project and set some key milestones for the next 6 months. 

While the hope is for the new National mobile ID to be implemented quickly, discussions were had about some key risks for the digital ID enrollment process. Risks aside, attendees at the workshop were in agreement that a digital ID was the “one source of truth as proof of identity.” While we still don’t know much about the features, design, or security aspects of the new digital ID for the Bahamas, the future of digital ID scanning in the country looks promising, and we can’t wait to learn more about it.

Other Bahamas mDL resources

Bahamas prepares for national digital ID, considers universal credential (Biometric Update)

BTC introduces new Digital ID for Essential Services Team Members (The Bahamas Weekly)