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Honduras: Procedure for obtaining an identity card (tarjeta de identidad) and the information that appears on such a card

According to the website of the government of Honduras, the National Registry of Individuals (Registro Nacional de las Personas, RNP) is the organization responsible for registering Hondurans in the civil registry and for issuing identity cards (tarjetas de identidad) and all other documents attesting to a person's civil status (Honduras n.d.a).

Article 88 of the National Registry of Individuals Act (Ley del Registro Nacional de las Personas) establishes the identity card as the personal identity document that is [translation] "required for a citizen to exercise his or her rights and to fulfil political, educational, civil, financial, administrative, legal, notarial and police responsibilities" (Honduras 15 May 2004).

That same article of law indicates that each Honduran over the age of 18 years old, who is registered in the RNP, is required to have an identity card (Honduras 15 May 2004). The RNP website specifies that Hondurans can apply for their identity card when they are 17 years old, but that the card will be issued only once they have reached the age of 18 years (Honduras n.d.c).

With regard to the procedure for obtaining an identity card, the same website indicates that, to file an application, a person must be 17 or 18 years old and must submit his or her birth certificate and the completed RNP application form (ibid.).

According to the RNP website, the information appearing on the front of the identity card includes the bearer's full name, their photograph, a 13-digit identity number, how the bearer acquired Honduran citizenship, the bearer's date of birth and gender, the date the card was issued, and a fingerprint (Honduras n.d.b). The information found on the back of the card includes the signature of the director of the RNP, the bearer's full name and 13-digit identity number, a unidimensional piled barcode, and the number of the municipality where the application was made (ibid.).

With regard to the identity number, the first four digits refer to the code of the department or municipality where the application was made, the four digits in the centre represent the year of registration, and the last five digits are the registration number (Honduras n.d.d).

According to Article 96 of the National Registry of Individuals Act, the identity card must be renewed every 10 years (Honduras 15 May 2004). Article 101 of the Act also states that the card may be extended only once and for no more than one year (ibid.).

If people damage or lose their identity cards, they can apply for replacement cards by following the same procedure as for obtaining the original identity card; the person concerned must have fingerprints taken again and must explain that they are filing a second application (Honduras n.d.e). A code indicating the situation will appear on both sides of the new identity card (ibid.).

Article 89 of the Honduran National Registry of Individuals Act indicates that minors aged 12 to 17 years old must also possess an identity card called an Identity Card for Minors (Carné de Identificación de Menores) (Honduras 15 May 2004). Article 90 prescribes that the design of the Identity Card for Minors be different than that used for the identity card, but it does not provide a description (ibid.).

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. 15 May 2004. Decreto Nº 62-2004, Ley del Registro Nacional de las Personas. (Instituto de Iberoamérica de la Universidad de Salamanca) <http://americo.usal.es/oir/legislatina/normasyreglamentos/ley_ electoral/Hondurasregistro.pdf> [Accessed 14 Dec. 2009]
_____. N.d.a. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). "Mandato." <http://www.gob.hn/portal/registro_nacional_de_las_personas/> [Accessed 14 Dec. 2009]
_____. N.d.b. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). "Tarjeta de Identidad." <http://www.rnp.hn/index.php ?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=81> [Accessed 11 Dec. 2009]
_____. N.d.c. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). "¿Cómo solicitar la tarjeta de identidad por primera vez?" <http://www.rnp.hn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32&Itemid=39> [Accessed 11 Dec. 2009]
_____. N.b.d. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). "Conformación del número de identidad." <http://www.rnp.hn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=52&Itemid=81> [Accessed 11 Dec. 2009]
_____. N.d.e. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). "¿Cómo solicitar la tarjeta de identidad por reposición?" <http://www.rnp.hn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=40> [Accessed 11 Dec. 2009]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Embassy of Honduras in Ottawa, Honduras – Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE).

Attachment

Honduras. N.d.b. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). "Tarjeta de Identidad." 1 p. Legend created by the Research Directorate. <http://www.rnp.hn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=81> [Accessed 11 Dec. 2009]