Firms reject ID cards, say GCC citizens

Manama : Companies in the Kingdom are reluctant to accept the ID cards of GCC nationals during the identification purposes, claim people from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

GCC nationals, who are residents of Bahrain, said that albeit Bahrainis and expatriate residents use the Bahrain CPR card for identification purposes, they are allowed to use the ID cards of their own countries. 

However, they rued that companies are not accepting the ID cards. “A decision was made by the Government of Bahrain not to renew our Bahrain CPR card and so we are allowed to use the ID card of our nation. But it is frustrating as most companies are not accepting this.” said Abdulaziz Alamri, an Omani businessman.

According to him, even simple tasks such as using bank services and completing travel procedures have become a hassle as service providers and embassies ask for Bahraini CPR card. “When I show them my Oman national ID, they rejected it and demanded for a Bahrain CPR card.” 

“I first came to know about this when I went to renew the CPR card of my son. They told me it will not be renewed because a decision was made to let GCC nationals use their own nation’s ID instead of a Bahrain CPR card,” he said. 

“It is clear that the companies are not following what the government has instructed. The government should ensure that all companies and organisations accept our national IDs. A better solution would be to renew our Bahrain CPR cards,” Alamri suggested.

Another GCC national, Ali Alasri said that he had bitter experiences even at government offices. “Some government offices insist on the CPR card. Recently the staff at the Traffic Directorate insisted that I give them a Bahrain CPR card,” he added. 

Mohammed Alsabahi from Oman said: When I went to change the data plan of my telephone connection, it was refused as I did not have a Bahrain CPR card.”