By Wendy Anders

Today, Costa Rica’s official government bulletin, La Gaceta, published an executive directive that eliminates the requirement of providing a paper copy of your personal or business identification, the infamous “cédula,” for government administrative transactions.

The directive was signed by President Luis Guillermo Solís in July in order to eliminate what is defined as an “unnecessary practice” as the country moves forward in trying to simplify its labyrinthine bureaucracy, according to Casa Presidencial.

The effort is also part of the Strategic National Action Plan on Climate Change, which seeks to reduce the use of paper, ink and electricity at state and its affiliated autonomous agencies, said Ana Gabriel Zúñiga, interim presidential minister.

“All public institutions need to establish procedures and instruct their personnel so that they do not request people provide a copy of their business or personal identification as part of their transactions,” said Zúñiga, since “it is not reasonable for administrators to demand their users to print out on paper information which is available electronically.”

The directive indicates that government bureaucrats need only review identification documents for their validity in order for users to conduct official business, and that this practice of not requiring a copy of the cédula should be instated immediately.