Benin: The national identity card is no longer valid.

In Benin, only biometric identity cards will soon be recognised by the state. This was decided by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday 06 July 2022 under the chairmanship of the Head of State Patrice Talon. Ordinary identity cards will no longer be relevant for several reasons mentioned by the Council of Ministers. This is the adoption of Decree No. 2020-396 of 29 July 2020 which defines the modalities for the implementation of the biometric card in Benin. The said decree mandates the National Agency for the Identification of Persons (ANIP) to take appropriate measures to ensure the efficiency and diligence of the national identity service. Also, the processing time for applications has been reduced to one week. These results reinforced the decision of the Council of Ministers to definitively put an end to the issuing of non-biometric identity cards. These, according to the Council of Ministers, no longer comply with international standards.