THE Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security has introduced an SMS service to improve the administration of applications for identity documents
This means Namibians applying for ID cards will now be able to follow up on the status of their application without having to physically visit government offices.
Home affairs executive director Etienne Maritz in a statement issued yesterday said the SMS service would involve a partnership between the ministry and the Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC).
Maritz said individuals who have applied for ID cards would receive an SMS on their mobile phones to inform them whether their application has been approved and the card has been printed, as well as when the card is ready for collection.
“We are confident that the ID SMS service will save applicants time and will decongest our offices. Applicants no longer need to attend to our offices to enquire whether their IDs are ready. Additionally, during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, it will also help reduce exposure,” he said.
Maritz said applicants who provide the correct mobile numbers are advised to refrain from enquiring in person and to instead wait until they receive a notification.
“The messages will be sent automatically without applicants requesting them. We are also pleased to announce that in the near future applicants will be able to enquire about their ID applications by sending a text message. This will cover other services of
the ministry as well,” he said.
