Netherlands introducing more digital ID login options

The use of Dutch national digital identity DigiD has risen in 2024, with more than 550 million log-ins. The European country is now hoping to boost the use of digital services by allowing citizens to use log-in options from the private sector.

DigiD use among residents logging in to government services rose 15 percent compared to 2023, the Netherlands Digital Government department announced at the beginning of February. The digital ID is used by an increasing number of organizations, including tax authorities and healthcare providers.

“In 2023, 340,000 people were still logging on using only a username and password. By 2024, that number has dropped to 90,000, a decrease of almost 75 percent, indicating that awareness of online security among the Dutch is growing,” the department says in a release.

The government is planning to go beyond government solutions such as DigiD and eHerkenning, an electronic identification created for companies. Citizens and companies will be able to use other approved login methods to access government service providers.

The change also means that public and private service providers will have to offer more login methods, as required by the Digital Government Act (Wet Digitale Overheid, WDO). The regulation was made to ensure that Dutch citizens and businesses can log in to government and semi-government services with a high level of security, implementing the European Union’s eIDAS regulation.

Another change brought by the government is introducing legal representation for minors 11 years of age and younger using digital identity. The declaration of parental authority is carried out through the ToegangVerleningService (TVS) (which translates roughly as “Access Grant Service”).

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID  |  eIDAS  |  government services  |  Netherlands