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Identification Authority

An identification authority is the body that issues an identity document: NADRA for the CNIC, the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports for a passport, the provincial licensing authority for a driving licence. It is a short list, and each Identification Type says which body issues it.

Where
People Directory › Setup › Identification Authority
Who uses it
The implementation consultant, once at setup
When
Before Identification Type
Needs first
Nothing

What it is for​

Two documents can hold similar looking numbers and come from entirely different bodies, and when a document has to be verified somebody needs to know where to go. Naming the issuing authority on the document type puts that answer on the record instead of in somebody's head.

It is a two field list and it should take five minutes. It exists so that Identification Type has something to point at.

Every field, in plain words​

Identification Authority​

FieldWhat it meansWhat to put in itNotes
Identification AuthorityThe short code for the body.NADRARequired. Must be unique.
NameThe body written out in full.National Database and Registration AuthorityRequired. Translations are kept per language.

How to configure it​

  1. List the bodies that issue the documents the client holds on file. In Pakistan that is usually three or four.
  2. Create one record each, for example NADRA / National Database and Registration Authority, DGIP / Directorate General of Immigration and Passports, EOBI / Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution, SINDH-LIC / Sindh Licensing Authority.
  3. Save, then set the authority on each type on Identification Type.

Scenario​

We hold documents from two provinces​

Create one authority per province where the issuing body genuinely differs, for example a Sindh and a Punjab licensing authority. Where the document is federal, such as a CNIC or a passport, one authority is enough.

What it is connected to​

  • Nothing has to exist before this screen.
  • Identification Type names the authority that issues each kind of document. That is the only consumer.

If something looks wrong​

  • "The authority list is empty on Identification Type" - no authorities have been created yet.
  • "It will not save, it says the authority already exists" - the code is in use and must be unique.