Greece automatically issues remaining Personal Identification Numbers

Greece is completing the issuance of its new Personal Identification Number (PIN) by automatically assigning it to 5 million citizens who did not opt to choose the first two prefix digits of their number.

The deadline for citizens to choose the first two prefix digits expired on November 5th.  More than 2.6 million people had obtained their number by that date, news outlet eKathimerini reports.

The Personal Identification Number, also known as the Personal Citizen Number, was introduced in May to help unify the country’s digital ID system, replacing multiple separate identification systems previously used, including the tax identification number (AFM), the social security number (AMKA) and the national ID number.

The 12-character alphanumeric identifier contains three prefix characters and a citizen’s existing tax registry number (AFM). The single identification system will be used for all public transactions.

The new Personal Identification Number will also be featured on all new identity cards. Existing ID cards do not need to be replaced.

Meanwhile, Greece is struggling to replace outdated ID cards without machine-readable zones (MRZs). The country is the sole EU member-state that continues to use old-format IDs.

The government’s new MRZ-equipped ID cards were introduced in September 2023. However, only 2.5 million of the 9 million IDs issued are equipped with the technology. The slow pace of adoption is due to the bureaucratic inefficiency and a flawed appointment system for changing the ID cards, according to eKathimerini.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  Greece  |  identity document  |  identity management  |  Personal Citizen Number (PCN)