Over the past few months, Praxis has been addressed by an increasing number of citizens facing the problems when trying to obtain ID card due to the lack of the Serbian citizenship. Specifically, those people were born in one of the countries of the region and possessed permanent ID cards and were not aware that they were not registered in the citizenship registries. They now have to obtain new ID cards, biometric ID cards, until 2016.  In addition to people from Croatia, BiH, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia, a few persons born in Bulgaria and Romania also addressed Praxis.

Those are mainly old people born in twenties and thirties of the last century, who have no one in their place of birth who could help them obtain documents that would be used as evidence in the procedure for admission into citizenship of Serbia which they are forced to initiate. These persons are often helpless, ill, bed-ridden, blind or alone, and it is almost impossible for them to go to the court to have their power of attorney verified or to go the police station to submit the request for admission into citizenship. 

Given the length of the correction procedure and the procedure of admission into the citizenship (from 6-12 months), it is certain that these persons will not possess valid ID card for a longer period of time. Without a valid identification document, they will not be able to exercise many of their basic rights, such as health protection. Also, there is a risk that cash social assistance will be abolished, as well as the possibility to receive pension they previously exercised the right to.

For more information, see the related announcement here.