Port-au-Prince, August 27, 2025.- In Haiti, the authorities are facing an alarming increase in identity card fraud. Falsified documents, produced using retouching software and printed on PVC, circulate widely and are used for financial transactions, money transfers and even electoral acts, endangering the country's economic and democratic stability.
Despite the introduction in 2017 of the Unique National Identification Card (UNIC), with an electronic chip to guarantee its authenticity, most institutions do not have the tools to verify its validity. Thus, banks, transfer houses and public administrations often process these cards without strict control.
The Technical Director of the National Identification Office (ONI), Reynaldo Camilus, confirms that cases of identity fraud are reported regularly, especially when two persons use the same identification number to obtain a passport. A Ayibopost survey even reveals the existence of counterfeit cards used for official procedures, although basic checks can detect faults.
Moreover, the Haitian electoral system remains vulnerable. Failure to register deaths maintains names of deceased people on the electoral lists, paving the way for fraudulent voting in a context where voter turnout rarely exceeds 20%.
The lack of equipment such as UV lamps in institutions, which is rarely requested to authenticate maps, leaves the field open for falsification, further weakening the credibility of elections.
W.E.
