Many Gambians have informed Foroyaa that they have been waiting to get the national identity cards that they applied for last year. Others applied for their cards early this year and still have not received their cards.
Frustration is mounting across The Gambia as applicants for national identity cards face long delays, with many waiting months and in some cases, nearly a year without receiving the documents needed for basic services.
At least all applicants who spoke described a system under strain, with repeated visits to collection centres in Kanifing and Banjul yielding little more than new dates and the same answer: their cards are still not ready.
For Kalimang Camara, the wait has stretched to eight months. "The application date was on the 3rd of September 2025," he said. "I can still remember the date."
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Despite multiple attempts to collect his card, he has been turned away each time. "Well, I think I have been to Kanifing in pursuit of the ID card like four times to five times. I don't recall how many times I went there for the Card.
"Anytime I have an engagement in Kanifing. I will use the opportunity to go there and check whether the ID card is out, but to no avail."
The response, he said, has never changed. "The only thing tell me is. It is not out. That is the simple message they will tell me. Go till next week or next month. That is the only explanation I have always received."
The delay has had real consequences. "I left one bank line, and I want to join another bank, but I was told that if I don't have a current ID card, I will not be able to open an account with that bank," he said.
"I now want to go to the head office and ask them to give me a tangible solution. If it is going to be finding a new one or a new process, or whether they are going to find another solution."
Others report similar experiences. Therese, who applied in December 2025, said she is still waiting. "I applied since December 2025, but mine is still not yet out," she said.
"I was asked to go back after one month. But when I went, I was informed that it was not printed. The officer didn't give me any new date; she just informed me that it wasn't printed. And I have not returned since then."
Ndey Sillah, who also applied in December, described repeated delays. "After going for the collection after a month, I was asked to return another time. I went there just last month and a week before the Koriteh, but I was told the same thing that it wasn't out."
At the Banjul collection centre, the scale of the problem is visible. During a recent visit, fewer than seven people out of dozens waiting in a long queue were able to collect their cards after nearly an hour.
Immigration officers could be heard repeatedly telling applicants: "Come back in three weeks or a month time."
The slow pace has deepened public frustration. "Today will be the last time I'll come here for this card if I don't get mine today," one applicant said.
Even members of the security services are affected. A police officer, who applied in November 2025, pleaded with immigration staff after multiple failed attempts. "I was here the last time you asked me to come two-week' time, and you are telling me to come back again. And I am supposed to go for a deployment."
Others expressed anger at the repeated delays. "Do I have to continue to coming here every time. I applied mine since September 2025," one applicant from Mayamba in the North Bank Region said after being told to return.
"I am now used to it. It is now 6 months going to the seventh. The same excuse," another said.
"I was here two weeks ago, and you informed me to come back," said another while talking to the immigration staff, adding, "Take it now. I won't return here..."
For some, the wait has stretched even longer. "It is one year since I applied. I applied on 4 April 2025. Anytime I come here, they give a new date," one woman said, holding pieces of her worn receipt.
"It is here in pieces. I cannot keep it for a year going and coming and expect it not to be torn," she explained, after an officer asked for the original document. Her card could still not be traced, and she was asked to report the matter again.
Even when multiple family members apply together, outcomes can differ. "I came to collect two; one for my wife and the other for my son. They both applied on the same day, but they said my son should come back next month," Mr Mbye said.
A small number of applicants were successful. "Thank you so much, officer," one man said after finally receiving his card. "I finally got my card after almost a year," a man said, as he recalled his struggles with repeatedly going to the immigration office for the ID card. "They always tell me to come back."
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Another applicant who applied on 13 January 2026 also collected her card, offering a rare moment of relief in an otherwise tense atmosphere.
The Gambia Immigration Department has acknowledged the delays. Its public relations officer, Inspector Siman Lowe, said efforts are underway to resolve what he described as an ongoing challenge.
"We are more focused on trying to implement that particular contract. So, we can get rid of some of the challenges we are undergoing right now," he said.
According to Lowe, a rollout plan for a new ID card system is expected in May, pending final discussions with the interior ministry.
"The ongoing challenge is an impending challenge. But now, the long-term solution is to focus more on the system that is now being operationalised, but then to effectively start the other project," he said.
For many applicants, however, solutions cannot come soon enough. Without valid ID cards, access to banking, employment and other essential services remains out of reach, leaving thousands in limbo as the backlog continues to grow.
