Thai digital ID framework entering second phase

The second phase of Thailand’s digital ID framework is scheduled to get underway soon. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry has approved the draft of phase II of the country’s digital ID plan, which aims to increase the number of e-government services that accept digital identity.

The first phase of the framework covered 2022 to 2024, while this second phase will cover 2025 to 2027.

Speaking to the Bangkok Post, executive director of the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) Chaichana Mitrpant told the publication that the second phase intends to raise the number of e-government services that accept a digital ID to 1,000 by 2027, which is an increase from around 400 in the first phase.

In addition, the aim is to cover new user groups such as foreigners who reside in Thailand. The IOM reports around four to five million foreigners living and working in Thailand, although a significant number (about one to 2.5 million) of these are thought to have “irregular status.”

Mitrpant acknowledged that a foreign national’s digital ID is “more complex” than that of a Thai national but recognized the importance of carrying out research and analysis to support the verification and validation of this group’s digital identities.

The cooperation of the Board of Investment and the Eastern Economic Corridor, which governs white-collar work permits, and the Labor Ministry, which is responsible for blue-collar work permits, will be required in the development of a digital ID for foreigners, Mitrpant said.

But this research phase should be finished next year, the executive director said, before state agencies proceed to host the development of the digital identity scheme for foreigners.

The Digital Government Development Agency (DGA) oversees the budget for 2025, for the digital ID framework and its development, which totals 7.96 billion baht (nearly $237 million).

In addition, the ETDA plans to encourage the adoption of digital ID among legal entities. For example, a legal entity wishing to open a bank account could use an electronic memorandum of association and the digital ID of an authorized person to open the account.

The executive director said the digital ID for legal entities is still in the pilot phase since it needs acceptance in courts and confidence among users.

Mitrpant believes all Thais should have a document wallet that contains all their electronic documents, with documents such as birth certificate or house registration or marriage certificate then easily shareable. For verification or auditing purposes, an officer could scan a QR code that would generate a log to confirm the officer verified the documents.

“We need to conduct a feasibility study on document standards, digital signatures, time stamps and document-sharing functions,” Mitrpant told the Bangkok Post.

“This system should also support documents from the private sector, such as banks,” he continued. “This will help ensure interoperability and enhance the security and usability of the system.”

But the number of document wallet users may be limited by security and privacy issues, Mitrpant said.

ETDA has a wide remit that includes promoting e-document management, enhancing Thailand’s digital infrastructure, ramping up its governance of digital platform services, and improving related laws and standards. In addition, the agency has held talks with the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) on whether the country should establish a national AI center.

“Some countries like Singapore have a national AI agency,” Mitrpant said, in comments quoted by the Bangkok Post earlier this fall. “We need to discuss this with Nectc on the position of Thailand in this regard.

Last month it was reported that Google has committed $1 billion to build its first data center and cloud region in Thailand, which was seen as a significant step in the country’s ongoing digital development.

ETDA aims to develop 90,000 “highly skilled” digital workers by 2027; while another goal is to equip 80 percent of government services with digital ID by 2025.

In October Thailand kicked off a $13 billion stimulus handout via digital wallets with millions of Thai citizens eligible for the scheme. Since a handout of 10,000 baht from the government was available, it’s proven to be a boost for the country’s digital identity scheme as well.

Before the cash handout there were fewer than 20 million digital ID users, but following the initial rollout of the stimulus handout the number of users has swelled to more than 40 million.

This is thanks to the Pao Tang app, for which Thai citizens need a digital ID to access, and through which government benefits can be accessed. This was in concert with the DGA’s Tang Rat app which encouraged digital ID applications to access the cash handout scheme.

It’s hoped that digital ID will streamline the boarding process at airports too, which aviation experts spoke on at a conference held in May, as reported by Thailand’s The Nation.

The Southeast Asian country began allowing air travel passengers to use their digital ID for verification when boarding domestic flights in 2023 after the rollout of ThaID, a digital verification mobile app.

This month, air travelers in Thailand started using face biometrics systems from SITA to pass through various airport checkpoints, instead of traditional ID checks, ahead of a rollout for international passengers planned for December 1.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  government services  |  ThaID  |  Thailand