Thailand deploying digital IDs in economic zone to boost business

The Thai government says to launch a physical/digital identification program as early as September. It will be integrated with a new 10-year visa program already in place.

Officials reportedly say 5,000 people in the Eastern Economic Corridor will be part of the digital ID project. The corridor spans 35 special business-development zones in three Thai provinces.

According to the Bangkok Post, the government is trying to pour accelerant on the corridor’s economy. There’s a 17 percent flat tax, for instance, for non-Thai entrepreneurs willing to start a business there.

The EEC document program is designed to ease transactions between the government and businessowners and employees by verifying their identities. The visa also is an attempt to make work-permit processes more efficient.

Thailand’s Electronic Transactions Development Agency is involved in the biometric digital license effort. It could expand to digitizing 40 credential and presentation documents, according to the Post.

At least 40 state agencies in the country have adopted identity verification of residents done with facial recognition, according to reports.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID  |  identity management  |  identity verification  |  Thailand