Kuwait determined to deploy this national ID card in order to comply with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regulation designed to allow citizens of all GCC countries to travel freely between member states. This card will serve as the official ID document for Kuwaiti citizens and will also be used as a travel document in the GCC region. The Gemalto contactless technology built in the card increases speed, convenience and security of identity verification at border crossings. In the future, the contact functionality will allow cardholders to access e-government services. Foreign residents will use their card as their national ID document within the Kuwaiti territory. In the second phase, it could be upgraded to a microprocessor card. “For PACI, it was important to fully utilize the region’s most established population registry and provide citizens with a secure travel document and convenient platform for additional services,” commented Musaed Al-Assoussi, Director General, PACI. www.gemalto.com