Estonia greenlights Smart-ID app for voter IDV

During its next local elections, Estonia plans to allow its citizens to identify themselves through the private digital identity app Smart-ID.

The app is issued by SK ID Solution and is one of the several solutions Estonians can use to prove their identity. Other options include the Mobile ID app and physical identity cards.

The introduction of a new identity verification tool will make e-voting during the October elections more convenient, according to The Baltic Times.

The app is certified under eIDAS regulation and requires a national identity document to create an account. It is also more popular than Mobile-ID: According to last year’s data, around  244,000 people use Mobile-ID and nearly 700,000 people use Smart-ID. The platform is also attempting to expand to other countries such as Belgium.

The country’s parliament passed legislation to improve the country’s electronic voting system, including using the Smart-ID app, in May last year.

“The technical readiness to introduce Smart-ID is in place and the necessary law amendment has also entered into force,” says Arne Koitmäe, head of the State Electoral Office.

As a digital transformation trailblazer, Estonia first introduced electronic ID cards in the early 2000s. It has since developed authentication methods on top of it, including the SIM-card-based Mobile ID and Smart-ID.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  Estonia  |  identity verification  |  SK ID Solutions  |  Smart-ID  |  voter registration