Biometric ID Cards for Refugees Do Not Equal Citizenship, Right to Vote

Rados Djurovic (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

The state’s decision to issue biometric identity cards to refugees in Serbia does not mean they will receive citizenship or have the right to vote in elections, Rados Djurovic, the president of the non-governmental Asylum Protection Center, said on Sept. 1

“The matter is purely procedural but very important. So far, these people had paper ID cards. With documents that bear no resemblance to [Serbia’s] contemporary [biometric] ID card, they can barely prove the status they have in the country and also have difficulties receiving basic everyday services, accessing healthcare and other forms of aid,” Djurovic told the Danas daily.

According to the NGO head, until now, only persons who were granted asylum and live permanently in Serbia were issued biometric ID cards. Now, anyone granted asylum will receive one.

“That number is still low. Asylum is granted to only about a dozen people annually,” he explained.

Djurovic’s statement references the recent Ministry of Internal Affairs decision to introduce biometric ID cards for all persons granted asylum in Serbia.