Belgium plans rollout of digital ID wallet next year to compete with itsme

Belgium is carrying out test operations in line with the government’s plan of introducing an application from 2023 to contain mobile driver’s licenses and other credentials.

An announcement from Mathieu Michel, secretary of state for digitalization, indicates that the myID.be wallet will contain the digital version of a citizens’ national ID cards which can be used in the conduct of official transactions, writes The Brussels Times.

Other documents such as the driver’s license can also be stored on the app, which Michel says can also be integrated with the systems of other state authorities like communes.

The digital wallet will provide an alternative to the popular itsme app. VRT NWS reports it is accessed through a QR code, while itsme logins are carried out with the user’s phone number.

The secretary of state also assures that the digital wallet will be rolled out in line with regulations of the European Union’s electronic Identification, Authentication and trust Services (eIDAS), the EU’s legislation on cybersecurity (NIS2), and the Single Digital Gateway requirements.

Michel said that the same access to data can be granted to another company besides itsme by respecting the standards. “Our responsibility is to guarantee our citizens’ access to digital services. As long as access is guaranteed, I have no problem,” said Michel as quoted by the Brussels-based publication.

The envisaged digital application will operate within the framework of a 2017 Royal decree which defines conditions under which private entities can have access to people’s data for access to digital services, the report notes.

Michel also mentioned that there are plans to modify the royal decree to suit some of the exigencies of the moment. He equally gave assurances on the security of the MyID application.

Article Topics

Belgium  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  government services  |  mobile app