Fee charged for digital photographs for NICs revised

The Public Security Ministry has issued an Extraordinary Gazette revising the maximum fee for uploading images to the e-photo studio software system of the Department of Registration of Persons.

As such, a registered photographer can charge a maximum fee of Rs. 400 to upload the ICAO standard compliance digital image of a person who applies to obtain an NIC or duplicate of the identity card after registration, and thereafter for issuing the Photographic Reference Slip to the applicant.

In an earlier gazette notification issued in May 2016, a fee of Rs. 150 was stipulated to be charged by a registered photographer for supplying three copies of a photograph of a person who applies to obtain the NIC or a duplicate following registration.

Through the new communiqué, the previous gazette notification dated May 05, 2016 has thus been rescinded.

Meanwhile, the government is planning to issue digital National Identity Cards (NICs) starting January 2024.

Accordingly, new applicants will be issued digital NICs at the beginning, and thereafter the program will be gradually expanded to provide all citizens with digital identity cards.