GRA launches automated driver’s licences

Mar 12, 2014 News

Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) will now be issuing automated driver’s licences to persons who have to have theirs renewed and to new applicants as well.
Speaking on how the procedure will be conducted was GRA’s Senior Manager for the Licence Revenue Department Wayne Austin who explained that “one would firstly have to lodge their old driver’s licence, then be seated to have their picture taken, and when that is completed you’re given a slip to come back within five working days to uplift your new licence”.
He said that upon payment persons will receive the new driver’s licence.

GRA’s Commissioner-General Khurshid Sattaur posing with his automated driver’s licence

“In moving from the Cardboard to the plastic licence what we did at this stage is that all the information of the old licence we transferred to the new plastic licence.” He explained that the features on the new licence will be updated later. As it currently stands, Austin said the new licence has a three-year expiry date just like the cardboard version, but as the updates kick in the expiry date will be lengthened. This he said would invariably increase the cost attributed to purchasing the new licence.
“It’s a much faster system than the old manual system and persons can look forward to a better service. Currently it’s only the driver’s licence which is being automated, the conductors, provisional and hire cars will remain the same on cardboard until the system is fully automated. This will also extend to the other regions as we did with motor vehicle licences. Presently the police’s certified officers are issuing the similar licences but when we are fully automated the GRA regional officers will be issuing these licences,” said Austin.
GRA outlined that only persons who are renewing expired licences and doing new transactions can acquire the new licences. The process will be done in stages since they don’t want an influx of persons coming to the office. Information regarding these standard operating procedures will be available on GRA’s website, the body outlined.
Commissioner-General Khurshid Sattaur explained at a launching ceremony held yesterday at GRA’s Camp Street headquarters that the security features in the new automated driver’s licence have been improved and as such, persons cannot easily forget it.
He explained that GRA has “…an automated registration, an automated system of motor vehicle annual renewal of licence. We have automated the system of business licences and now finally we have automated the system of driver’s licences. This means that you will have more efficient services, it would also mean that we would be able to step up the level of anti-corruption and help for law enforcement agencies in their fight for persons who are engaged in all types of nefarious activities.”
According to Sattaur, the new licence will also eventually work as alternative photo identification for agencies that require that information.
“These cards are now being introduced for the first time in Guyana; hopefully with the acceptance from the commercial banks and other agencies and parties that interlink with us, we are going to get a greater level of acceptance of the card.”
He said that later on other features will be added to it such as a barcode so that digitized data can be read to determine the genuineness of the licence.
Sattaur who was one of the first recipients of the new plastic driver’s licences, credited his IT department for their efforts in making this development possible, but mentioned however that the actual printing of the licence has to be outsourced.
“We’ve got to make a modest start in the beginning because we are young in this thing. As time progresses you will see major improvements.”