Why passport to get ID Card?

THE EDITOR: A 54-year-old friend of mine recently attempted to apply for his first ever Identification Card at the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) office in Port of Spain. He made an appointment online and walked with his driver’s permit, electronic birth certificate and expired passport (2018).

He was told by a clerk that either a valid passport or a letter from Immigration is required in order to complete the process. The explanation given by the EBC to my friend is that they need to know his Immigration status and whether he is still a citizen before they can proceed.

Does this make any sense? Can he travel with an expired passport? Why is this necessary to obtain an ID card? Mind you, in order to get an appointment with the Immigration Office you need to call their office (calls go unanswered all the time) or make an appointment online, which has not been working for a while. He now feels as though he should be a citizen of another country as this is just ridiculous.

KATHY ANN JULES-HISLOP

via e-mail