site.btaAccessibility of IDs and Address Registration for Vulnerable Communities Discussed at UNHCR Conference

More than 2,400 personal documents have been issued to vulnerable communities since the amendments to the Civil Registration Act came into force, and around 50,000 people already have an official address as of the end of October this year according to data from the General Directorate Civil Registration and Administrative Services at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, said Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov on Tuesday. He was speaking at the conference "Ensuring access to identity documents and address registration in Bulgaria: Implementation of amendments to the Civil Registration Act among vulnerable communities", as quoted by the press office of the Council of Ministers. The conference was organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and The Trust for Social Achievement.

During the conference, Zafirov highlighted the significant progress made by the government in addressing the lack of identity documents among vulnerable communities. Addressing representatives of institutions and civil society organizations, he pointed out that significant progress has been made on one of the key priorities of the National Strategy for Roma Equality, Inclusion and Participation (2021–2030), that being ensuring the rule of law and preventing discrimination. 

A key focus of his report was the progress made on the long-standing problem of the lack of identity documents among vulnerable groups, which limits their access to education, healthcare, social services and employment. The latest amendments to the Civil Registration Act, which introduced the concept of an official address, were cited as a significant advancement. This new mechanism allows individuals without a proven place of residence to obtain address registration, which is a prerequisite for obtaining personal documents.

Seda Kuzucu, the UNHCR representative in Bulgaria, also recognized the country's progress in adopting these legislative changes. She said that acquiring citizenship is a matter of equality and social cohesion.

Last week, Deputy Sofia Mayor Nadezhda Bacheva said that the amendments to the Civil Registration Act made it possible for homeless people to be provided with an official address so that they can obtain identity documents.  She noted that, according to the results of a study conducted as part of the European Commission-funded international project "European Homelessness Census", there are significantly fewer homeless people in Sofia than in other large European cities.