Cabinet approves purchase of 100,000 digital IDs

Cabinet on Wednesday approved the purchase of 100,000 digital identity cards, Research Deputy Minister Nikodemos Damianou said.

He said the first 30,000 identity cards will be made available free of charge to those who want them, with the aim of “strengthening this most important action of digitisation in our country”.

They will be issued on a first come, first served basis, with the remaining 70,000 of the first batch set to be issued at a charge of €15.

He added that Cyprus’ digital identity cards have already been approved by the European Commission and added that it will “allow people to access useful digital tools and citizens” in their interactions with government services.

President Nikos Christodoulides had spoken about the matter at the Digital Agenda Cyprus summit on Wednesday morning, and said cabinet would “approve … the incentives for an electronic identity, including a digital signature, to enhance the efficiency of security and the speed of transactions.”

This, he said, will “ensure government services are provided seamlessly and with safety”.

The digital identity cards will be rolled out over the next three years and will be available for use by citizens of the Republic of Cyprus over 18 years of age.

Christodoulides said their rollout will “make a decisive contribution to our effort towards our state’s gradual digital transition.”

He explained that the digital identity cards will be valid for three years from their date of issue and will allow for “fast electronic identification for access to information systems with a high level of assurance”.

He added that using one’s electronic identity card to electronically “stamp” digital documents will “have the same legal force as a handwritten signature and can be used in all electronic transactions which currently require a handwritten signature to be processed.”

Christodoulides words come as the European Commission announced on Tuesday its aim to introduce digital identity cards and digital passport to facilitate more seamless travels for European Union citizens moving across the bloc’s external borders.

The commission said the move will “speed up border controls and ensure smoother and more secure travel”, with a common framework for the digital travel credentials’ use and a new “EU Digital Travel” app set to be created.

They added that it will improve security, as “it will be harder for fraudsters to use fake documents or pass through Schengen borders undetected”, while also allowing for more efficient, smoother, and faster border controls.

The app will be available for all EU and non-EU citizens with a biometric passport or EU identity card who aim to travel to or from the Schengen area.