Honduras: Procedure for obtaining an identity card (tarjeta de identidad) and information that appears on such a card (January 2011-December 2015)
1. Procedure for Obtaining an Identity Card Within Honduras
In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the National Registry of Individuals (Registro Nacional de las Personas, RNP), the government agency responsible for issuing identity cards in Honduras (Honduras n.d.), provided the following information:
The identity card is issued to Honduran citizens when they reach the age of 18 years. In order to obtain the identity card for the first time, applicants must go to the RNP in person and provide their birth certificate. The RNP takes a photograph of the applicant and fingerprints both hands. The identity card is issued free of charge to first-time applicants. In order to obtain a copy of a lost or stolen identity card, applicants must go to the RNP in person and pay a fee of 200 Lempiras (HNL) [approx. C$12]. The RNP will not re-take the fingerprints of the applicant, but if he or she wishes to change the photograph, a new one will be taken (ibid. 27 Oct. 2015).
2. Procedure for Obtaining an Identity Card when Living Abroad
The RNP representative indicated that in order for Honduran citizens who reach the age of 18 years while living abroad to obtain an identity card, they must provide, upon returning to the country, their birth certificate and evidence of their emigration, regardless of the number of years spent abroad (ibid.). The RNP representative added that first-time applicants can also be fingerprinted and photographed through the RNP squads that travel to Honduran consulates (ibid. 9 Nov. 2015). The representative explained that Honduran citizens living abroad can obtain a copy of a lost or stolen identity card through one of their parents in Honduras, who must go in person to the central archives of the RNP and provide their own identity card, the original birth certificate of their child living abroad and a fee of 200 HNL (ibid.).
3. Validity, Appearance and Security Features of the Identity Card
The representative stated that the current format of the identity card has been in circulation since 1999 (ibid. 4 Nov. 2015), whereas the identity document-checking service operated by Keesing Reference Systems dates it back to 1990 (Keesing Reference Systems n.d.). The RNP representative said that the identity card has a 10-year validity period (ibid. 26 Oct. 2015), whereas Keesing Reference Systems indicates that the Honduran identity card has an unlimited validity period (Keesing Reference Systems n.d.). The representative specified that, due to budgetary constraints, identity cards have not been renewed and that their validity has been extended through legislative decrees (Honduras 26 Oct. 2015). The Representative added that Honduran citizens must have the current format of the identity card (ibid. 18 Nov. 2015).
A sample of the Honduran identity card, including information on the fields and security features of the card, as found on Keesing Reference Systems, is attached to this Response. The RNP representative corroborated that the Keesing Reference Systems' sample of the Honduran identity card is current (Honduras 26 Oct. 2015).
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.
References
Honduras. 18 November 2015. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
_____. 9 November 2015. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
_____. 4 November 2015. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
_____. 27 October 2015. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
_____. 26 October 2015. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
_____. N.d. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). "Quiénes somos." <http://www.rnp.hn/?page_id=95> [Accessed 31 Oct. 2015]
Keesing Reference Systems. N.d. "Honduras - HND - Identity Card." <http://www.documentchecker.com/rdo.dll/id> [Accessed 22 Oct. 2015]
Additional Sources Consulted
Internet sites, including: El Heraldo; Factiva; Honduras – Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos, Consulate in Montreal, Embassy in the US, Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores; La Prensa; La Tribuna; United States – Department of State, Embassy in Honduras.
Attachment
Keesing Reference Systems. N.d. "Honduras - HND - Identity Card." <http://www.documentchecker.com/rdo.dll/id> [Accessed 22 Oct. 2015]