Moldova’s first digital ID app sees 24K downloads in five days

Moldova’s first digital identity wallet was downloaded over 24,000 times within the first five days, causing temporary glitches due to overload.

The EVO app was officially launched last week, allowing citizens to access digital ID cards, driving licenses and vehicle registration certificates. Currently, over 4,000 stable digital wallets are in use with work underway to solve any remaining issues, according to Dumitru Alaiba, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Development and Digitalization.

“EVO is everyone’s product and this is only the first version. There will be dozens more micro and macro improvements,” Alaiba said during the launch.

EVO was launched under the Ministry’s e-Governance Agency with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other partners.

The concept of the EVO application was approved by the government in January with more than 5,000 people registering for the beta testing launched in late March.

Aside from containing digital documents, such as ID cards, driver’s licenses and registrations, the app contains the government electronic payment module MPay and a document verification module. Moldavian nationals can also access services such as citizen’s portal MCabinet, legal public and health services and more. Users can authenticate themselves with an electronic signature and the MPass portal.

Other strategic partners contributing to the EVO app are USAID, the governments of Sweden and the UK, the Ukraine Moldova American Enterprise Fund and the World Bank.

Cybernetica to help Moldova with eIDAS compliance

Moldova’s Information Technology and Cyber Security Service (STISC) has enrolled the help of Estonian software company Cybernetica which will work on analyzing the Moldovan digital ID ecosystem and evaluate its conformity to European Union standards, including the eIDAS 2.0 regulation.

The strategic partnership is significant as the Eastern European country opened accession negotiations for joining the EU last December.

Out of the total of 3.5 million Moldovans, 1 million live abroad and would benefit from an interoperable digital identification system. The Moldavian government is planning to upgrade its technology stack, expand use cases for the digital wallet and enroll even more users, according to Cybernetica’s Analyst and Lead Consultant Valentyna Tsap.

“Obtaining a high level of assurance for the national identity scheme and complying with the requirements for Qualified Electronic Signatures will allow for a smooth transition into the European digital space and interoperability with other Member States’ solutions,” says Tsap.

The project is expected to take 4 months.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  eIDAS  |  EVO Moldova  |  Moldova  |  UNDP