Romanian leaders pay for new electronic IDs due in August

The Romanian government has announced plans to cover the price of citizens’ new electronic ID cards, which include biometric security features. The documents will also act as a passport among European Union nations.

It is hoped that making the chipped cards free will encourage adoption. The new digital ID cards will be legal in August 2031. After that, old IDs will be valid only for identification within Romania.

According to HotNews.ro, cards cost RON 67, or US$14.67, to produce and issue. The program has been allocated  €200 million, $216.47 million, from the European Union’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

Writing in the draft ordinance (in Romanian), the minister of internal affairs, Lucian Bode, confirmed that cards will first be distributed this summer in Bucharest. Other areas will follow.

As per the document, children younger than 12 are not required to provide fingerprint biometrics.

The physical documents will not show the place of birth and residence address. That data will be stored on the card’s chip and in government databases.

This is in preparation for a new system that will store the data — the Integrated System for Issuing Civil Status Acts (SIIEASC), due in September.

A new legal framework is also being established, reportedly to increase interoperability between systems operated by the General Directorate for Population Registration and other agencies.

Also in Romania, PayByFace recently received a strategic investment from Indian fintech SafexPay.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  eID  |  identity document  |  Romania