Cyprus okays rollout of first 100k digital IDs to facilitate govt transactions

The Cypriot government has approved the issuance of 100,000 digital IDs, with 30,000 of them to be given free of charge to those who go for them first. The remaining 70,000 digital IDs will be issued at a government-subsidized rate of €15 (US$16).

The country’s deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Nicodemos Damianou, as saying cabinet gave the greenlight for the purchase of the digital IDs on October 8, according to Cyprus Business News.

Financial solutions firm JCC Payment Systems Ltd is the entity issuing the digital ID and overseeing authentication, under the supervision of the Department of Electronic Communications of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy.

As an EU Member State, Cyprus is bound by the eIDAS 2.0 regulation, which entered force in May and mandates the issuance of digital identities and digital wallets by 2026.

Damianou stated that the move follows an announcement made by President Nikos Christodoulides in an address at the Digital Agenda Cyprus Summit, and it is in line with a government project dubbed “Digital Citizen” which the President announced at the start of this year.

The official noted that the start of enrollment for the digital ID will begin soon and this will be at Citizen Service Centers. He also informed citizens that the digital ID, which is known as IDMe.cy, doesn’t come as a replacement for valid physical ID cards.

As explained by Damianou, the digital ID will be used for several purposes including identity verification, authentication and digital document signing, among others. It will ensure easy and safe access to services offered by the government and private entities.

Explaining the scope and uses of the digital ID which will be valid for three years renewable, Damianou said, as quoted: “The use of the electronic identity (eID) and the interconnected electronic signature is not limited only to citizens’ transactions with the state, but also for private or other professional use.”

“It is an important tool for the economy itself. A mechanism that can be used, beyond the government, by businesses and professionals with the aim of developing the market in terms of simplifying procedures, increasing efficiency and combating time-consuming bureaucratic procedures.”

For businesses, the official says the ID will be useful in digitizing the “the relationship with their customers where the legal weight of a handwritten signature is required or the absolute identification of their citizen-customer, while reducing their operational and administrative costs.”

The government minister mentioned that while the digital ID has already been integrated into the building permit application process, it will subsequently be merged with other important government services such as taxation, transport and business registration.

The launch of the digital ID in Cyprus comes after it received mutual recognition from the European Commission last December, with the “high” level of assurance (LoA) in line with the eIDAS regulation, per the notification form. The notification specifies various security measures. Among them, the native biometrics used to unlock the applicant’s device will be used for authentication before the digital application can be submitted.

The approval followed a review by consultancy SpearIT, which assesses cybersecurity and eIDAS compliance.

Early last year, the country also announced tenders for a project to upgrade ID documents it issues, and to introduce a digital signature.

In a video explainer, JCC outlines the procedure for requesting a digital ID from its Trust Portal, which all begins with the creation of a Trust Portal account.

Applicants must be in possession of their Cyprus biometric national ID card which must be uploaded in fields meant for that on the application portal.

Once the login is successful and the application form is downloaded an filled out, a physical validation of the applicant is required within 30 days.

Article Topics

Cyprus  |  digital ID  |  eIDAS  |  electronic-signature  |  government services  |  identity verification  |  JCC Payment Systems